Permanent Sunset
by Minyadagniriel
Summary: After the loss of Tsunade, Konoha is cursed in eternal night. A mysterious spell falls on all men 17 and older. Torture, sexuality, and many character pairings. Children beware, please.
1. Chapter 1

-1Permanent Sunset

Minyadagniriel

_My eyes… they hurt so much…_

_My shackles… cut my wrists…_

_My spirit… nearly broken…_

_There is no one coming, I just know it. I had stopped screaming hours ago and suffered now with my throat in agony. The other captives, lost their voices days ago. My mind set on freedom "Please save us. Please…" I contemplated my escape and failed many times. The other captives, all women, would not interfere for fear of beatings and rape. I cursed myself for being in this predicament and letting down my guard. The tears stung my lifeless eyes but never fell past my cheeks. _

_I sit here waiting…wondering… how could this have happened? The strongest person in our village was taken down mercilessly. Even the most elite of ninja were overtaken. _

_After the permanent darkness fell, the male adults of our village… their eyes were clouded over with hatred and betrayed our great hokage, the great Tsunade. Heavily outnumbered, she fell before our eyes fatally wounded. The children of our village tried to avenge our great leader, many of us inexperienced ninja. Against the jounin and chunin we were no match. I had barely become a chunin, at age 16, and still with my great chakra control I was horribly outranked and outnumbered. Several of us were captured, mainly the girls. No boys were taken. _

_So here I sit, with close friends, chained to the filthy walls of what was once a school for the future ninjas of Konoha. The basement… To my right, my close friend Ino and on my immediate left, Hinata. The room was filled with all the girls and women of Konoha, all ages, captured by the very same men who protected us for so many years. Our bodies, naked and unclean. My pink hair was ratty and matted from lack of brushing and cleansing. The girls were in the very same state. I looked at the others to see they were all slumped forward. Even the great jounin ninjas Kurenai and Anko were unconscious and they were the worst of all of us. Frail and gaunt. They had no light left in their eyes. Cheeks were sunken in and skin lackluster. Their legs were stained with blood from god knows what. When I was brought here for the first time, I cried hard. My elders and greatest teachers were broken._

_I struggled again with my bonds and shackles trying to create hand signs but the chains were so short that I couldn't get my hands together. It was done this way on purpose to prevent escape. I wanted to help them. It was only a matter of time before my former proctors were taken away for their final slumber. It would be intolerable pain and I only hoped they would be unconscious through the whole ordeal. _

"Stop it Sakura. We can't help them now. Don't throw your own life away."

I stopped my struggling and stared at Ino. She obviously knew what I was trying to do. Her eyes held a slight sadness as she looked at me.

"Please don't… I couldn't see my closest friend murdered before me…" she said quietly. She gazed down at the floor for a few seconds and closed her eyes.

Keeping my voice as low as possible, "Ino, they will come for us."

She brought her head back up and tried to smile, "Don't get your hopes up Sakura. Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Rock Lee… they can't get past the guards here. With the eternal darkness, it is nearly impossible."

In a way, Ino was right. The darkened skies held the spell over the Konoha men and women. When a boy reaches the age of 17, he became "one of them". Eyes will cloud over and he will forget himself and submit to the night sky. Their powers became stronger while a woman's became weaker. That was why all the women who were ninja or training to be were brought to the run down school. The elder women were killed off instantly because of their "uselessness." All the younger generations were "saved" for procreation whether they wanted it or not. Those without ninja skills or chakra were also killed off because "they" wanted only the best. This world was no longer about having a strong defense, but having a great offense. There were talks above them about creating a dominating country and spreading it to the other villages.

"Sakura…"

I looked to my left at Hinata who was quietly listening to our conversation. "…yeah"

"They will come. I have faith. And I also believe they will bring help from the remaining alliance from Suna. We have strong ties with them, you know that." she smiled.

"Yes. I won't give up…" I couldn't help but admire Hinata's courage. She has changed since the original chunin exams when she faced off with her cousin Neji. She had shown incredible strength since Neji had become one of the "clouded" and lost all his memories. His birthday was July 3rd. It was now September 8th and only a matter of time before some of the other boys they knew would be joining that fate.

Rock Lee was next in line…November 27th. His fighting technique was incredible even without the help of chakra, which he did not possess. He had the power of ten men, it would only triple when he became "clouded." He would truly become a "green beast."

"I'm so afraid for Lee. He'll suffer so much." I started to cry. "I shunned him for so many years and he has always shown his love for me no matter how many times I threw it back in his face.." I was sobbing now. "Look at what I have lost for myself! I chased Sasuke for so long only for him to betray us and disappear with Orochimaru! I have no right to ask for his help!! Or even his forgiveness! I'm nothing more than weak!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

The room remained silent for a few minutes. I continued to sob and droop my head. My hair hung in front of my face. I couldn't look at anyone right now and I knew the girls were staring at me. Not only those two, but I had to have awakened everyone else with that outburst.

"Billboard brow!" Ino shouted. "Don't you dare say things like that! Lee does care for you, as he does for all of us, maybe even a little more in your case. Asking him for help is never a sign of weakness! She began struggling with her chains to try and get closer to Sakura but with no avail. "Asking Lee for his forgiveness before his day arrives would mean more to him than…"

Ino never finished her sentence. The door to their cell had come flying open, ending their conversation. Six elite ninja had stepped through the passage. One was masked and the others were without facial coverage. All the women and girls in the room save for the injured Kurenai and Anko gasped and shifted their bodies as if they were trying to distance themselves away from the men. The youngest girls were crying and the teenagers mainly shut their eyes, hoping to not be picked. The clouded elites made their rounds on the women and selected both Kurenai and Anko and also wanted to choose two teenagers.

I was terrified they would pick me but I was passed over, as was Hinata. The jounin stopped in front of Ino and lifted her chin to meet his eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and let a few tears fall. "Please… not me again…" Ino cried. "I couldn't bear it, it hurt so badly last time."

The elite said nothing and motioned the attention of the other men. The others nodded and surrounded poor Ino. The elite who selected her finally spoke in a firm tone "Shall we take the blond again, to make sure the job is done? She's already been here for almost two months and she should be well into the first trimester, judging by her morning illnesses and such. Her mind transfer traits will be especially dominant in the newborn child and highly useful."

First trimester?! I wanted to scream. That is why they took Ino first? Mind transfer? I was hurting for Ino inside. She never even told me that they had already… I couldn't hold back anymore! "YOU BASTARDS! How could you do that to her!!" My chains were tight against my thrashing body and I was out for murder now. Ino was always too proud to tell me anything that had happened to her in the past but holding this from me hurt deeply.

One of the elites grabbed me by the hair and yanked hard, forcing me to look up at him. His steel gaze terrified me. It was like a heavy fog had settled itself behind those irises. No emotion, only gray against my fading emerald pools. He raised one of his hands in the air and it came crashing down against my face. It hurt so badly, I didn't want to show him any more weakness than I had already so I desperately tried to hold back the tears. Then a second slap collided with my cheek again, forcing my tears to fall.

"You shall be the second…" the elite said in a calm tone. He let go of my hair and summoned the other elites to gather Ino and I plus Kurenai and Anko. Our arms and legs were fitted with shackles much heavier than the wall chains. We couldn't lift our limbs, they were so heavy. The old chains were removed once we were secured and the elites had to carry each of us since walking was not an option.

I said nothing as they carried me. I didn't want to be struck again with those rough hands. Of course I wasn't sure who had hit me because of the masks they wore. Wherever we were going, was not going to be pleasant. We arrived on the 1st level and the elites were waiting for instruction from the leading jounin.

"Take the blond to the upper level for inspection and laboratory testing. She must be given new care should she be carrying. The two older women, take them to be disposed of in the east quarters. They can not serve anymore purpose here. The pink haired one…heh…I'll take care of her." he smirked. The leader took me from my current bearer and slung me over his shoulder. I let out a yelp as he harshly squeezed my behind after tossing me like a rag doll. This guy had to be at least 6 feet tall, and my being around 5'3", I was nothing more than a featherweight for this guy. He continued to strike my backside as he dismissed the other elites to the lab and to the east quarters. We were moving again, I tried kicking my feet wanting to harm him or do some kind of damage to him. It wasn't working in my interest. The chains were too heavy. "Stop resisting." he said. "You can't overcome my strength nor the chains for that matter. Ah… here we are…a private room for just the two of us." he chimed melodically.

I was tossed on a table in the middle of the room. I glanced without a word at the new room, ignoring him. It was a small space, just like my old bedroom used to be and the walls were plain white with only one window high up off the floor. The only light in the room was from a dim ceiling fixture and a touch of moonlight through the window. There were no shelves or desks or any type of furniture besides this one table that slightly resembled a table found in a maternity ward, complete with foot rests on one end.

I had hoped to be left alone in the room and just locked up as punishment, but my worst dream was about to become a reality. "Why are you doing this to me?" I asked. The elite ignored the question and took the ends of the heavy chains and attached them to the underside of the table. My arms were pinned over her head, completely exposing my breasts to this man. I hate being naked for this man, none could blame me either. My eyes were beginning to well up again as he took my legs and roughly placed them in the foot rests. The chains were hooked to the bottoms of the rests. To ensure that I couldn't move, the elite used a leather restraining belt around my middle and I was completely tied to the table. Next he took the foot rests and spread them as far as they could go, completely exposing my private area to him.

"You are a gorgeous piece of artwork. Your mother ought to be proud." The "compliment" or supposed compliment sounded terrible coming from him.

"Your clouded elites killed my mother…" I spat at him.

He was nearing my face, I could feel his breath through that ugly black mask of his. He came close enough to nearly kiss me but stopped just short. "She was useless I'm sure. We do not need women at her age." He laughed lightly in my face. In a small fit of rage I tried to bite the elite and only managed to get a hold of his mask. It slid right off of his head and he backed away quickly. I tossed the mask aside with my mouth and was horrified when I looked at my womanizer and rapist.

His long black hair fell out of the mask and hung past his waist. His skin was pale and smooth. On his face he wore a smirk and a very familiar one at that. His eyes were clouded over with gray and lust for me. I was shocked to see a symbol on his forehead that looked exactly like… my mouth fell open… "NEJI!" He was my attacker?

"Know my name do you? Well, I'm sure I'll eventually find out yours." He laughed maniacally.

"Neji, please remember me! It's Sakura! You knew me for years!" I tried to sit up and couldn't. I wanted to shake some sense into his head. "We were in the chunin exams together four years ago and I was at your jounin advancement party! You gave a speech and everything! Please remember! You're not one of the clouded!!"

"Hmm…I don't recall any of that." His scratched his chin in thought. "Anyways, Miss Sakura, we have business to attend to."

He advanced towards me and my body began to tremble. Lust had returned to his eyes. I never thought that I would have to lose my most precious gift to Neji in this state. If he were normal and we were dating it would have been fine but not like this. I was completely lost for words as he touched my leg and ran his fingers down my thigh. He stood at my side and wanting to watch my expressions as his fingers neared my most intimate place.

"If you are a good girl, we'll play nicely. No more biting, or it will be a regretful night for you." He started to move his fingers again…closer to my folds. I couldn't speak or yell for that matter. I was so overcome by emotions. He pressed his fingers into me and I wanted to die. It was not pleasurable. I was dry and he pressed in further, or at least tried to. "This won't do. I guess stimulation is a necessary factor this time. I wouldn't want to mark up your flawless body. It will make things easier." He pulled out his fingers and decided it would be best to kneel between my legs. He parted my thighs a bit more and quickly placed himself at my core. "You're a virgin, correct?"

"Neji, please don't…" I breathed. My voice almost a whisper.

"I'm sincerely honored. I'll make sure this is something you'll never forget." He smirked again and quickly plunged his tongue into my nether region. I knew I wouldn't forget what it was like to be violated, especially by someone I did not love. He continued to stroke me and soon enough he slid a finger into my folds again and move it in and out.

There was no intimacy, I was flushed and embarrassed. I'm glad my friends couldn't see me in this position. Completely helpless and the mercy of Neji. I couldn't help some of the noises I was making as he kissed, nibbled, and penetrated all at once. I could have sworn I heard him say _"I believe you are beginning to like this" _against my skin. I didn't care, I wanted to fall into a deep dark sleep and never wake up. I could feel my lower belly heating up and my stomach was in knots. All the touching and tenderness was starting to get to me. He seemed to enjoy his work even more now. He inserted a second finger and continued penetration. His confidence in getting me ready was an all time high.

Slow torture…it certainly was. I was about ready to give in now until I felt a finger of his push so far in it caused a an ache and then I heard a _'pop' _sound. I yelped, "Ow ow ow!"

Neji stopped with his oral stimulation and didn't remove his fingers right away. "I knew it, you are definitely a virgin." He left his fingers in me for a minute before pulling them out. They were covered in red liquid and instantly I knew what he'd broken and done. I started to sob, I was broken and now I had nothing. Violated and heavily depressed. I had nothing to give to my true love when I found him. Neji looked at my wet face, "You think giving a small amount of blood to your true love is precious? How sad and pitiful…"

I said nothing. I had nothing to fight for myself now. I was ready to give it all up. This time, I truly lost my spirit.

"I hope your ready for me Miss Sakura, because I can't wait any longer." Neji quickly removed his black vest and black undershirt and began to undo his pants. "Don't worry, it gets even better." he laughed.

I shut my eyes, I don't want to see Neji when he finally gets inside me. That pale face, smirking as he steals my last bit of innocence. I felt his hands reach up to my waist and then to my breasts as he kneaded them and then suddenly, he stopped. His hands just lingered on my chest and nothing was happening. I could feel his erection up against my thigh and still he did not move. Why wasn't it coming? Why stop now? Was he trying to torture me some more by making me wait and then pushing in when I least expect it?

I opened my eyes, Neji was looming over me but he was not moving. Why?

"Psst, Sakura!"

"Who's in here!" screamed Neji, trying desperately to move but found he couldn't.

"Who is in here!" I cried. "Where are you!"

"Look to the window!" the voice responded.

I looked at the only window in the room and saw my saviors. "Shikamaru! Lee! Naruto!" My prayers have been answered. "Help me out of here!"

"How did you get through security?!? They completely outrank you!" Neji yelled at the boys leering at him.

"Through tunneling! The perimeter is heavily guarded yes, but they least expected an invasion from underground." shouted Naruto. Lee and Naruto both climbed down the wall to get to Sakura and Shikamaru continued his shadow possession jutsu to move Neji off of Sakura.

"Release me from th…..unn…" Neji started and was knocked unconscious by Lee with a swift kick to the head and fell to the ground.

Shikamaru also smacked Lee in the back of the head for good measure.

"What was that for?" said Lee as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.

"If I hadn't let go of my possession on Neji in time, I would have been unconscious too you dumb ass! Shikamaru exclaimed.

"Um, guys….Sakura passed out…" Naruto grabbed their attention. "She has to be in shock" Naruto unbuckled the leather strap around her middle. "Sorry we didn't make it in time, Sakura…" He noted the blood dripping down onto the floor from her contact with Neji. He quickly slipped off his jacket and placed over her naked form.

Lee was far too modest to remove the chains on her legs so he worked on freeing her arms and Shikamaru wasn't really interested in Sakura so he had no issues untying her legs, though he was red in the face while doing so. After removing the chains, Naruto scooped her up bridal style and securely wrapped the coat around her before hopping up to the window sill and followed by Lee then Shikamaru, disappeared into the night air.

To be continued….


	2. Chapter 2

-1I would personally like to thank Antisocial69 for being my first reviewer . Thank you sooo much! You belong at the top of my story for all to see!

Sorrows of War : Permanent Sunset chapter 2

_It's so dark here… Why am I moving? Did I fall asleep? Or have I died…_

_No, I can still here them… maybe if I just open my eyes, NO! I don't want to be selected! Ino! INO!_

"She's talking again. It's beginning to make me worried, she won't come out of shock if she continues to panic like this." Naruto said as he hopped from tree to tree. "She keeps mentioning Ino's name. I'm sure Choji, Temari, and Gaara have found Ino by now and rescued her. Should we try to wake Sakura?" He looked down at the unconscious Sakura in his arms. Lee and Shikamaru were on either of Naruto's sides for Sakura's protection.

"No, she may go into hysterics over Ino or the other women. It would be far too troublesome if she begins screaming and the enemy hears us. Let's just get back to the burrow. The others are waiting and I wouldn't be surprised if Gaara's team already made it back with Ino long ago." Shikamaru wanted to remain positive but the night brought about a fear and panic in his voice. "We've been gone too long, it's got to around mid-day by now. Shit, without the sun, I can't tell the time…damn this curse…"

"We'll be fine." Lee chimed in happily. Even in the most darkest of hours, he was always believing in himself and his teammates. "What's important now is to get the other women to safety, we need Sakura to do that. She and Ino need time to heal and I swear on my life, those women will be saved." He raised a hand high in the air just like his former sensei Guy would have during a tender moment and let tears stream down his face. So this meant he was not paying attention to where he was going and crashed immediately into the next tree branch. Naruto and Shikamaru paused and looked behind at Lee.

"Are you finished?" Shikamaru stated with a bland expression on his face.

Naruto chuckled. "Why don't you take Sakura, Lee. That way it'll force you to be more vigilante." He hopped down to the branch Lee had crashed into and freed one of his hands to help him. "Here, keep her safe."

"I'll except this duty with honor!" Lee blushed and carefully took the still sleeping Sakura. He looked into her face and saw signs of anxiety and physical markings which started turning purple. "They hit her…my poor Sakura…when my time comes, I hope I'll never raise a hand against the ones I care about."

Shikamaru sighed. "C'mon guys…I'm getting bored…"

_I finally opened my eyes…it was blurry…who are these people? Silhouettes…they're everywhere! Was my rescue all a dream? I couldn't be! It was so real! Lee, Shikamaru, even Naruto…were they truly not coming? I squeezed my eyes shut again and whimpered. _

"_Please...not again!"_

"Sakura…Sakura…it's jut us…"

The figures were trying to shake me awake but I felt I couldn't give them the satisfaction of my being awake for more torture. But this wasn't torture… I was placed on a soft bed of coats and blankets. A wet cloth placed over my forehead and a large fur comforter over my body.

I opened my eyes again and rubbed the sleep from them. I looked up to my "scary silhouettes" and immediately saw myself surrounded by close friends. "Naruto, Lee, Shikamaru! You really did come for me!!" I grabbed the closest friend and hugged him tightly.

"Sakura, I'm gl…glad to…see you… t…too but I can't breathe…" Lee said as he tried to loosen my grip for air.

I held him for a moment, my arms around his neck and didn't want to be moved. Lee finally gave in and wrapped his own arms around me. I felt secure and rested my face into his chest. The tears fell again and I'm sure Lee could hear my sniffles. Lee didn't let a single tear fall from his eyes, though the sorrow could be seen in his face. He remained calm and composed for Sakura's sake.

Shikamaru and Naruto stood watching, knowing not to break the silence. She needed time.

The place they had brought her was a comfortable place. They referred to it as the _burrow_, named by Kiba since he was the one to discover it. It was a partially underground headquarters around fifteen to twenty miles away from Konoha. This place was located near a mountain pass, giving them a good defense and only needed a few ninja to guard the entrance. The only downfall to the burrow was having only one exit. But the place was top secret, and nobody knew of its whereabouts.

It was like living in a cave almost, warm, slightly misty and plenty of tunnels and living quarters. All stalagmites were cleared for space purposes and safety of the children. The ceilings were cleared of sharp rock and moss scraped off the walls to allow better breathing and cleaner air. All the boys of Konoha had come here, along with the children of the alliance from Suna. There must have been around 200 living here. Many were killed off in their villages.

The silence was broken when the leader of Suna had appeared in the room. I couldn't lift my head to look but I knew it was him. Gaara of the desert. I could feel his presence and strangely I did not feel threatened by him. He had changed since his days of the chunin exams because of Naruto. Now he was a great friend and ally.

"Our mission has been completed… though we couldn't find the others…" Gaara stated almost in regret. "Your blond friend is located in the west hospital chamber. I fear it is already too late to reverse the damage done though." He left the room quietly.

I finally had the courage to look up at Lee. "I need to see Ino…"

He nodded and gathered me up into his arms blanket and all. "You also need medical treatment, we'll visit for a minute and then you must be seen." I placed my arm behind his shoulders to give him support but he truly didn't need it.

The short journey to the west chamber was not very long. Nobody spoke as we passed the living quarters for all the other ninja. I saw the children from our village and Suna. They ranged from infants to teenagers. Some ninja, while the others weren't. I felt sad seeing their faces…hurtful expressions and fear. They were everywhere. Small cots had been set up for them and there were blankets and soft furs on the ground. They did what they could for themselves and seemed to be alright. The teenage females were looking after the younger children and infants while there were some teenage males stationed at different parts of the rooms to look after everyone. Food was being passed out and people took their turns getting water. Patience clearly was a virtue with them and it amazed me about what people can do in times of crisis.

"They have been living like this for months?" I asked Lee.

"Yes. Amazing isn't it. We have survived this way… some haven't been outside in weeks, well at least the infants have not. Unfortunately, it is too dangerous to let so many people out at once. We follow a schedule and group numbers are called for restrooms and cleansing out in the forest and lake. They are heavily guarded." Lee smiled and looked at me. "You're going to be comfortable here. It's not much, but it's our new home."

We had finally arrived in the west quarters and I wanted to be with Ino so badly. I started quivering and shifted in Lee's grasp. The room was brightly lit with several lanterns and candles. The were medical supplies everywhere and were clean and kempt. There were several tables in the center, definitely for treating patients. On the last table a figure lay with blond hair. She was sleeping.

"…"

"Try not to wake her yet Sakura, she's been through a lot."

"Kiba?" I saw a man in a black cloak just off to the corner of the room and he was holding a wet cloth, ready to place on Ino's head.

"Yep, that's me. Try not to be too loud. She's finally calmed down to where I can examine her." he said as he placed the cloth on her forehead.

"I didn't know you knew medicine." I said.

"Technically, for humans, not really but I was the closest thing to a medical ninja until you arrived. My family is made up mostly of veterinarians and if there were any accidents involving humans with the animals, I would know how to treat it. So I'm best at physical wounds and external injuries. Very minimal internal. Akamaru here has also been a great help in fetching medicinal plants and clean water." He pointed to the floor and a sure enough his oversized dog was laying on his side and let out a small whimper. "Actually, I was kind of hoping that after you've healed up, you wouldn't mind leading the medical unit here since you were taught by Tsunade. Your healing abilities will give the others more hope."

"Yes! I will do it… anything I can do to help!" I wanted to start now but with Lee having a strong grip on me…

"Sakura, treatment first, then duty." Lee said.

"Sorry Sakura, I want you at your best. So, Lee, please place Sakura on a table and we'll get started." He motioned to the table a few feet from Ino.

Lee did so and started to head for the entrance.

"Lee.." I called after him. "Could you…stay with me…please?" I truly wanted him there. I knew that Kiba was going to inspect every inch of me for injuries, inside and out and I did want a hand to hold.

"Sure.." Lee came back to my side, slightly blushing. I took his hand into mine and held it over my heart.

"I'm ready now Kiba." I said calmly.

Kiba came to my other side opposite of Lee and was holding a small needle. "You need fluids and I'm going to give you a medicine for pain. May I have your arm extended.."

I did as he asked and stretched out my arm. The IV was very small so I didn't really feel anything. Then Kiba attached a piece of medical tape over the vein and around my arm. An IV line was attached and Kiba moved a small bag of fluids near the table. "You should relax now, the medicine will kick in shortly." With that he proceeded to remove the fur blanket I was carried in.

Lee blushed and closed his eyes out of respect. I also was blushing and wanted to keep my eyes closed. Still, I knew Kiba was doing what he needed to do. He started with my face. Which was heavily bruised and showing by now. "You'll probably be feeling the pain of the bruises by tomorrow." he said. "I'll make sure you have medicine for that." He continued down my neck, tilting my head from side to side looking for any fractures or broken bones in the collar area. He noted two small cuts on the back of my neck and deemed them non-life threatening. He moved down towards my chest and felt my rib cage for damage. He gently moved my breasts and touched the undersides looking for any lacerations. He let out a sigh. "Well, at least there are no broken ribs. Maybe a little bruising, nothing serious."

He checked my arms and when he reached my wrists he inhaled sharply. "Lacerations to the lower arms and palms. Looks like your cells managed to clot but we need to clean these and make them bleed a little to circulate the healthy tissue. Plus, they antibiotics and bandages. It will be a while before these heal up completely. Did they have you in chains?"

"Yes." I flinched when he touched my wrists and he gently put them back down. I took Lee's hand again and relaxed my other arm once more.

Kiba continued down my abdomen and noticed a little swelling in the stomach. "Rough handling?"

"Yeah…I was thrown over shoulders like a rag doll."

"Could you manage turning on your side?" asked Kiba. "I would like to see the back of you.

I turned slowly and needed some help from Lee because I could feel my backside aching slightly. "ow..ow.."

Kiba shook his head. "Looks like someone beat you black and blue. Your backside is completely discolored. We'll make sure you have plenty of pillows and try not to sit directly on your tail bone. Otherwise you'll be in a world of hurt."

Kiba inspected my legs and feet. "Shackles on your ankles… they didn't do as much damage as they did to your wrists, but there is imprints of chains and small metal fragments stuck to your skin. We clean that off and medicate them."

I was glad the general exam was over, but he still needed to inspect me internally.

"Alright, now I know this will make you uncomfortable but it must be done. Please bear with me. Lift your legs up, feet flat on the table and knees apart." Kiba said. He bent down to Akamaru. "Hey boy, can you please fetch me a new clean dish, deep enough for my hands and fresh water?"

Akamaru gave a small whine and stood up to stretch. He scampered off to do as he was asked.

"He is so reliable and loyal." I said to Kiba.

"Yeah…that's what I love about him." Kiba smiled. Akamaru came back quickly with a new bowl and the clean water. Kiba took the items from Akamaru's mouth and set them up on the nearby table. He filled the bowl with the water and submerged his hands in it. A few minutes passed and he removed them.

"Lee, would you mind grabbing me a sanitary towel. They're above the boxes in the corner. They should be individually wrapped." Kiba let his hands partially air dry as Lee rummaged through the little alcove in the wall and found them. He grabbed two for good measures. Kiba thanked him and he opened one to clean his hands and thoroughly dry them. Afterwards, Kiba returned to my side. "Ready?"

I gulped and nodded. Lee squeezed my hand for support as Kiba positioned himself at the end of my table. With one hand he pushed my legs apart a bit more and with the other, touched my inner thighs and began the exam. He felt the muscles and then my pubic and hip bones. He found no trace of injury outside. Then he curled his ring finger and pinky of his left hand and reached inside my vaginal area with his index and middle finger. His fingers were warm and soft. He treated me like a patient and not a lover so I was not bothered by him touching me there.

Lee was flushed again and held both of my hands now. His forehead rested against mine and our entwined hands were near our faces. Eyes were shut as Kiba continued. I was glad Lee stayed with me in my time of need. After a few moments of touching and moving up and down my inner walls, Kiba concluded the exam. His fingers stayed inside as he spoke to us.

"There is some vaginal tearing and small lacerations on the walls of the birth canal. Your hymen has been ripped. That will remain permanent." Kiba removed his fingers and they have a small amount of blood on them. "Looks like the bleeding has just about finished. There isn't a lot of damage inside that requires treatment. It will heal on its own and probably quickly."

I opened my eyes and looked at Kiba. "You're almost like a true medical ninja."

"Well, a few years in medical wards have helped, even if they are veterinary." he responded. "Well, on another note, the worst is over and the hardest healing will be mental. But that is up to you. I will get your wrists cleaned now." He walked over to the water filled bowl again and proceeded to wash his hands and sanitize again.

Kiba was prepared and ready to clean out her wrists. He took fresh cloths and wiped away the dried blood and dirt. An antibiotic solution was applied to the wounds. Lee agreed to help wrap her wrists after the application to avoid infection.

I looked over at Ino on the nearby table. She was sleeping peacefully and covered in soft blankets. He face was relaxed and even hinted at a tiny smile. "Kiba, I would like to know about Ino…how is she? I haven't seen her since before my rescue and "they" said she might be…"

Kiba interrupted "…carrying? Yes, unfortunately for Ino, she won't be able to take on any missions until the baby is delivered. We have to keep her safe. In this delicate condition, she is a prime target for the clouded and we must not allow them to take her back."

Lee flinched. "I'm glad she's safe in our hands then. After what I saw at the old school…what they were doing to Sakura…it must have been terrible for Ino."

"Yes, but Gaara, Choji, and Temari were able to get her before they tried to ensure the pregnancy. They stopped the man who tried to enter her again." Kiba said.

"Did they see the man's face? The one who did this to Ino?" asked Lee.

Kiba knew. "Yes." His emotion was stern and in a slightly angered voice, he spoke the name, "Kakashi Hatake."

"No…NO…I can't believe it!!" I screamed. If Ino had not woken up by now, then she was about to be. "He couldn't…HE WOULDN'T! NO….no…no…" My tears streamed down my cheeks again. How could my old sensei do something so terrible. The man who looked after me when I was twelve, cared for me, treated me like a daughter.

It was the curse…a terrifying spell. Whoever had placed the spell would pay. When I find them, I'll kill them. Kill them for hurting my village, kill them for hurting my former sensei, kill them for hurting my closest friends, for Ino!

"Sakura…Sakura! Be calm! Stay with me! Sakura!"

"SAKURA!"

I couldn't hear Kiba and Lee shouting my name, the room became hazy. The last thing I saw was more people rushing into the room to see what the commotion was.

Dark…darker…black…and I was out again.


	3. Chapter 3

-Patience is a Virtue: Permanent Sunset chapter 3

_It's raining again…the sky, it has been crying often. The mountain pass had flooded and the "family" had been forced out of the burrow. Sakura, still in a coma-like-state…Ino, feeling the heavy burden of child-bearing. It was too much for them, the cold wind, the hail that had fallen, the freezing rain…almost intolerable. We had no choice but to take shelter in the woods, at higher ground. We did our best. The Suna leader, Gaara summoned a great shelter of sand for us. It took a severe amount of chakra and the rain would destroy parts, meaning more chakra to repair the damage. The great blanket of sand over our heads eventually failed as he had no choice but to rest and regain his energy. The hail continued to fall on us, cutting our faces. The rain fell harder…time was slow and we had no idea if it was day or night. Our lanterns were extinguished, candles broken, and blankets were soaked. _

_The tree branches were cracking and hissing as they fell to the ground. Shikamaru took lead of our group and moved us farther from the mountains. Mudslides pushed rocks and trees down the cliff sides. We needed to move. Shikamaru had the most experience as a leader, seeing as he became a chunin long before the rest of the group during the exams and first to become a jounin last year. With Gaara at his side, though he was kazekage, they treated each other as equals. _

_Two weeks have passed…the winds had died down and the fierce weather has halted. The group of 200 have become a group of 183. The storm had passed, but the aftermath was devastating. We lost 12 infants to pneumonia, as did 5 children between 4 and 9 years. With our lack of medical ninjas, we could not save them. Before our return to the burrow, we held a small funeral and cremated the bodies, having no place to bury them. Their ashes were blown away with the wind. Siblings, cousins, friends, were lost…Sadness stayed with the group for days…_

_Sakura remained dormant through the entire two weeks, stable, but dormant. Choji and Lee took turns carrying her, occasionally Naruto would help. We kept her hydrated by dripping small amounts of water in her mouth. Ino stayed by her side to help. But she was forbidden from carrying anything or anyone that weighed more than fifteen pounds, orders by Kiba. _

_Akamaru was a great help in the woods, he located clean water and even caught a few small animals for food, mainly squirrels, rabbits, and any fish that he managed to not scare away. _

_The elders did their part by gathering edible plants and nuts. It was readily available and kept the children quiet when they complained of hunger. _

_Finally, upon reaching the burrow, the flood waters had dried up some and they could clean up the messes. The west hospital chamber was first and cleaned up quickly. Lanterns were re-lit and blankets dried out. Kiba began treating as soon as possible. Many were frozen from the rains and were nearly hypothermic. _

"Has she awoken yet?"

"Hmm? Oh, no not yet Naruto." said Ino as she wiped Sakura's forehead with a wet cloth. "She's still burning up, damn that flood. It seriously wrecked the burrow and we lack supplies now. I don't think we have enough blankets and medicine anymore."

Naruto scooted closer to Sakura's table and stared at her expressionless face. "This room cleans up well."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ino raised an eyebrow. "You say the strangest things…"

"Yeah, I'm impressed with how quickly we got this place fixed up. We can care for Sakura and the others now. Kiba is doing a great job and all, what a knucklehead, he even got his dog on duty." Naruto was trying to cheer her up.

Ino stopped what she was doing to look up at him. "Do you even have the slightest idea of what you're saying?"

"Nope!"

"You'll never change," Ino smacked her forehead. "Well, at least pull up a stool…err.. rock, whatever and help me clean Sakura up."

"Sure! Towels are in the corner right?" Naruto said as he bounced to the nearby alcove in the wall and grabbed a fresh towel. "By the way Ino, what had happened to you? I mean before you came to the burrow. You slept a lot during your first few days here and I was just…wondering… um yeah"

Ino nearly dropped her cloth over Sakura's face. "Uh, um… well…" She was completely lost for words. "I'm not really ready to talk about…it… yet. Didn't the others already clue you in?"

"Well, I do know about the baby. But what I want to know is what happened before you were rescued by Gaara, Temari, and Choji. Were you alone?" Naruto waited for an answer.

"_He is certainly being patient with me."_ Ino thought. "Why didn't you ask me this before now? Well anyways, I was taken to a room in the upper level of the old school. They were doing tests…on me."

"What kinds of tests?"

"All kinds…blood tests…measurements…my mind control jutsu…" she scratched her chin. "Well, they almost found the secret to my jutsu, then Temari had blown a wall down with that fan of hers and Gaara trapped everyone in sand. He didn't kill any of them. Choji untied me. After that, I can't remember much except that I had passed out from shock and humiliation of being naked in front of my teammate and two ninjas from Suna. I guess Gaara had found some of the testing documents and brought them here. So Kiba has been monitoring me ever since. Hopefully, Sakura will take over as soon as she wakes up."

"By the looks of it, it may be a few days." Naruto said as he continued to dry Sakura's hair with the towel. "Shouldn't you be relaxing with your condition?"

"Kiba says I should be, but I hate feeling helpless. I'll go against his word for now, he'll just have to deal with it." Ino smiled at him. "So…you do know who the father of this child is, right?"

"….yes. I was pissed off when I'd heard. I wanted to rip out my own hair. I'm sorry that my old sensei was the man to do it…he would never do something like that if he were himself," he sighed. "I'm afraid…for the women. When my next birthday comes, it will my turn."

Ino stood from her seat next to Sakura and stepped quietly to Naruto to stand behind him. She reached over his shoulder and enclosed her hand over his, which still held the towel. "Don't worry, by then the curse will be gone. I'm sure of it." she whispered into his ear.

"Hopefully before Lee's time as well…" Naruto looked at the floor.

"It will be," she said. "Stay with Sakura for a while?"

Naruto nodded and continued to dry Sakura's hair. Ino let go of Naruto's hand and left the hospital wing without another word.

Three men stood outside the entrance of the burrow, candles and lanterns in hand, shadows dancing on the cliff side wall. It was the blackest night they had ever seen.

"We lack too many supplies now, Shikamaru…Gaara. Flood waters have depleted the medicines and the food. Even Akamaru can't make up for the lost food and water supplies."

"We realize this, Kiba." said Shikamaru.

Gaara nodded. "We have already decided that we need to send a group back to Konoha to retrieve goods and medicines."

"We can't lose anymore of the children…I've already failed them once." Kiba lowered his eyes. Akamaru lay on the floor next to his feet and whined a little. "There are eight more little ones in the hospital wing, two are hypothermic and the other six are showing signs of an upper respiratory illness. It is only a matter of time before it develops into pneumonia."

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome. At this rate, there will be no Konoha or Suna to rebuild once the curse is gone. I bet the villages outside our countries are just as bad."

"Then we have no choice." Gaara announced. "We have to find the other captives in Konoha and bring them here. We'll infiltrate the school and the medical wards."

"Fine by me." said Kiba. "Who is going?"

"We'll take the strongest male ninjas. We cannot risk the women being taken hostage. Anyways, we need the most protection here." Shikamaru stated. "Temari is the most talented female ninja. We'll leave her in charge along side you, Kiba."

"Alongside me? You want me in charge?"

"We need you stay as the medic and Akamaru will aid you as always. You'll lead the group until we get back." Shikamaru rested one hand on Kiba's shoulder.

"Right." Kiba nodded in compliance. Akamaru barked lightly.

Gaara took this as a sign that the meeting was coming to a close. "I'll alert Naruto, Lee, and Choji and gather all the teens for a short meeting. We don't want the younger ones to panic in our absence. We leave at the crack of daw…well, whenever we all wake up seeing as there is no dawn." He took his leave inside the burrow leaving Kiba and Shikamaru outside.

Shikamaru gave his next statement some thought before grabbing Kiba's attention again, "Kiba…"

"Yeah…" Kiba raised his eyes to Shikamaru once more.

"You didn't fail…"

A large weight was lifted off of Kiba's shoulders. "I needed to hear that…thanks." He lifted an arm and put on Shikamaru's right shoulder in the same fashion as earlier.

They acknowledged each other and also shook hands before Kiba decided to call it a night. He and Akamaru disappeared into the burrow.

Shikamaru decided to head inside as well, seeing that his guard duty was completed. Before going inside, he found the small boulder they normally used to seal the entrance and guided over. It was semi-heavy, but a strong ninja could move it. He squeezed into the hole before moving and shifting it to cover the entrance completely.

"There…perfectly in place," he said as he inspected his handy work. He made his way to one of the spare chambers. It normally remained empty, since everyone was in the regular living quarters. Plus it was the darkest room, private too, he liked it that way.

It was quite comfortable for him, after the flood waters had drained, he had to air out his fur comforter and the pillow he had. His extra set of clothes were soaked and they were still airing out in the pockets and around the seams. There was a spare bag in the room where he kept litter. It lay near the bed of fur.

"Lame…my favorite pair of shorts were nearly destroyed…" he said to himself. He picked up the shorts and touched the pockets. "Still damp here." He laid them across the floor again to dry some more.

He was beginning to tire and decided to relax until he fell asleep. He removed his traditional green vest and mesh shirt and tossed them to the floor. His muscles were sore from the two weeks of traveling through poor weather. He carried some of the small children when they couldn't touch the bottom crossing streams and was forced to climb a few trees when he lacked chakra to run up. He stretched his arms and flexed a little to relax the tendons. He had to admit, after puberty struck him he developed pretty nicely.

He pulled the elastic tie from his hair and let his locks fall to his shoulders. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times and gently ruffled it. "Getting long again." He scratched his head and tossed aside the elastic, landing on the vest. He reached for his only kunai knife in his vest pocket and contemplated trimming it. Sitting on his makeshift bed of fur, he pulled his bangs in front of his face and took a little off the ends, about an inch.

His back was facing the entrance to his room, so he did not see the person who decided to enter without permission.

"Can I help you with that?" a voice said coyly.

Shikamaru jumped slightly and turned around to see who startled him. "Temari…ever hear of knocking?"

"I would have if there was a door to knock on." she laughed. "Some ninja you are, didn't even hear me come in."

"I was distracted." Shikamaru cursed himself for saying the lamest excuse in the book.

"Whatever…so can I give you a hand or not?" she said sternly.

"Do what you want." Shikamaru truly didn't care at this moment. He was too lazy to argue and he gladly gave up his kunai to the woman behind him. She set down her lantern and reached for the kunai in his hand.

Temari began trimming the back of his hair letting the stray hairs fall into her palm before disposing of them into the little bag near the bed. "You have a lot of split ends, you know."

"mm.." was his response.

"Not really into talking tonight? Come on, you haven't even thrown a sarcastic comment at me yet." she smirked. "Too lazy for even that?"

"Why are you here, Temari?" Shikamaru asked in a dull tone.

"Just because." she responded.

"Troublesome…"

"I knew you would say that. But, I did come here because my brother just told me you and some of the other ninja are leavin' on a mission tomorrow. Gaara said I was to be left in charge with Kiba." Temari continued trimming off to the side of his face.

"And…" he rolled his hand to make her hurry along.

"Well, I know what you're up against. The elites are no laughing matter. My other brother Kankuro , he is one of "them" now. At least, last I knew he was terrorizing Suna with the other elites and he tripled in power. Those puppets of his almost act according to their own will and his. I was faced with them before Gaara and I managed to escape with the few children and teens that we had."

"I know that. But we need to go tomorrow, and Gaara suggested you to stay here. To overlook the repairs and look after the others. We trust you." Shikamaru shifted his feet out from under himself to change positions.

"There, it's all done." Temari ran her fingers over his scalp and lightly shook his hair to let any more strays fall. She put his kunai aside and continued to lightly run her nails through his hair again. "I don't want anything to happen to Gaara when he's there tomorrow…or the others." She ran her hands up and down the back of his neck now.

Shikamaru closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her hands on his scalp. It was like heaven and it made him shiver slightly when she went over the back of his neck. Her nails scrape lightly over and over again.

"I wouldn't want anything… to happen to you either.." she said as her hands traced small circles down his neck and over his exposed back. She began kneading the muscles which were knotted with tension and stress. "I couldn't bear it."

Shikamaru let out a small groan and opened his eyes a little. She was making him feel so good right now, almost too good. "Temari…we shouldn't…"

"What… I know you're enjoying this. I want to make you feel…" she started.

"But this isn't right, not like this…here in a cave-like setting. If your brother knew about this…I could kiss my ass goodbye."

"My brother wouldn't give a damn, neither would the other." she said. "I care very much for you and I haven't given you much attention since before the hokage's death."

"Yeah, but that was almost child-like attention, joking around. Nothing serious. Not like this." He turned his gaze over his shoulder to look at her. She was smiling at him.

"It was, but, what do you say we take our friendly relationship to the next level?" she asked. Her hands were roaming to the front of him now, wrapping around his neck and bringing her face closer to his.

"You m-mean…you and me…t-t-tog...ether…" he swallowed hard.

"You're stuttering… it's a serious turn-on for me." she said in a seducing manner. Her hands now roamed his chest and she began kissing his neck.

Shikamaru didn't know what to do. An ultra gorgeous woman was in his room, alone with him and he was just sitting there as this woman was massaging his chest, kissing his neck, and asking him for…

He thoughts disappeared instantly as she gently brought her lips over his. He was stunned and she was not a bad kisser either. He gave in, shut his eyes again and let his instincts take over. There was no way he could pass up an opportunity to be in a relationship with this girl. He moved his lips against hers and parted them slightly to let his tongue wrestle with hers. She tasted sweet and bitter at once, a wonderful combination to him.

Temari kneeled on the bed next to him and he turned to her for better access to her lips. Now embracing each other, Shikamaru ran his hands up her back and to her neck. He reached her hairline and played with the wispy flyaways before reaching for the lower two pigtails and unraveling them. She moaned against his lips, urging him to go on. He raked his fingers through the loose tendrils and moved on to the second set of tails, quickly removing the elastics.

She traced his mouth with her tongue and followed a path down the front of his neck to his chest, stopping to explore his collar bone and gently pushed him back with her hands. He now lay completely on the bed with her still ravishing his upper body. Her hands were resting on his abs and were gradually moving lower.

Shikamaru's stomach was fluttering and his heart pounding, a completely new feeling for him. His breathing became heavier and hypnotic. He wanted to return the favor to her, make her squirm under his touch. Maybe in a minute…

Temari's hands came to the top of his pants and she decided to play with him some more by bringing her face closer to his belly. She licked at his stomach muscles and they contracted lightly to her touch. Her hands dropped even further to the button of his pants and she began to work with it, easily undoing it. She could clearly see the bulge between his legs that begged to be touched.

Shikamaru moaned again and started running his hands through her hair, encouraging her to go farther. Temari had a fire burning in her belly. She wanted him badly, prolonging was getting harder. She could just hurry and tear off his clothes, but where's the fun in that? Patience is truly a virtue.

"Can I?" she asked him.

"Hm?" he glanced down at her. He could see the lust in her eyes, she wanted to take this further and he nodded. "I want you to."

She pulled down his zipper and cautiously reached inside to gain access to him. Her eyes widened as she touched his length. He was certainly what many would call a "big boy" and she didn't want to wait to receive him into her mouth. She gave a final glance up to his face and saw a look of eroticism in his eyes. Quickly, she pulled the front of his pants down without taking her eyes off of him, paused for a moment, then took in the sight of his piece. Gently she lowered her mouth around him and she heard him take a sharp breath and then release it. She started off at a steady pace, letting him enjoy it. When she gained more confidence in her work, she moved a little quicker. One of her free hands tickling his belly as she continued.

Shikamaru was in ecstasy. How did she learn this?!? He could feel a buildup of heat in his groin. If this continues on…

"Temari…if you…k..keep this pace up…I'm going to…"

She stopped moving her head and removed her lips from him. "But you like it."

"Oh trust me, I loved it…but I want you to feel the same pleasure. My turn.." and he quickly sat up and grabbed her arms and pushed her down on the bed. He pinned her arms over her head. He looked at her with amusement. "You tortured me, now it's my turn to torture you."

To be continued….


	4. Chapter 4

Lights Out: Permanent Sunset chapter 4

_Can't sleep…never really could…not before the demon…_

_But my eyes say otherwise, they are drooping. _

"Can't sleep…my demon is gone and still I have no desire to dream." He laid a hand over his eyes. "I still have these dark eyes…dark circles," he said to himself as he touched the black rings. "Eh, big deal…they give me character." He raised his hand a little higher above his left eye to touch the tattoo. Created it himself, by the same sand he used for killing in the past. The symbol for love. He now knew what that simple word meant, thanks to Naruto. Gaara had grown closer to his siblings and gained many friends in recent times. Now his friends and family needed him most.

Gaara relaxed on his bed of fur blankets and sand. His room, not far from the main living quarters. He only needed to peak out of the entrance to see the group sleeping peacefully. His gourd lay near the entrance, not quite out of his reach in case he needed it.

At least the group was safe. The flood was so traumatizing for them. He rolled onto his side resting his hand on one hand. "_Have I gotten too soft?" _He flexed his other hand in front of his face, eliciting tiny cracking sounds from his knuckles. He stared at his palm. There were scars on his fingers, mainly from years of hard work and battles. Before he could come out of confrontations without a scratch on him, the sand protecting him at its own accord. Now, he needed his chakra to do it for him. He had become more tactical and defensive since losing Shukaku. "_I remember each scar…my first one coming from Sasuke, during the original chunin exams. He injured me with that attack… those chirping sounds… the blade that pierced my sand barrier, then me."_

Returning to the past was not helping him get to sleep any quicker. Leaving his gourd behind, Gaara decided to step outside his room and walk rounds of all the chambers. All lights were out except the few lighting the tunnels. He checked on the living chamber. The group was asleep and he could hear a few of the younger boys snoring lightly. "_Must be nice to dream." _

Lee slept in the corner of the room, apparently too exhausted to return to the hospital wing for his nightly vigil with Sakura and Ino. He and Naruto almost never left their sides. In the center of the room, Choji lay flat on his back, surrounded with small children who insisted on cuddling with the big teddy bear. Well, he wasn't so big anymore. Choji had lost a considerable amount of weight recently because he had no access to food. Gaara had almost missed seeing him there, Choji used to stand out a bit more. It was amazing how much the young ones loved him.

Happy with his first stop, Gaara moved on to the next tunnel that lead to the hospital wing. The lights weren't so bright down here. Lanterns were a little farther apart and the tunnel took on a spooky affect. Gaara continued on, without carrying a candle or whatnot, not even the slightest sense of fear could engulf him. The hospital wing was just down this tunnel, left at the fork, and straight ahead.

"What's this?" he asked himself. "Another light on…" At the fork, down the right tunnel a very faint light could be seen flickering. Apparently someone else was still awake when they should not be, especially if it was a child. Curiosity led him down the right tunnel. If it was a kid he was going to scold him and send him back to the main living quarter. With a sigh, he stepped lightly down the right tunnel.

He was nearly there, but it didn't sound like a young child. There was a feminine moan of pleasure. Confused, he stepped closer to the entrance and peeked in, only to find…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now it's my turn to torture you…." Shikamaru said lovingly to her.

Temari laughed lightly, "Do your worst."

"Fine by me. I hope your ready to face the consequences of your actions."

"Yes well, actions speak louder than words…I want to see you doing your worst." she taunted.

With her arms over her head, pinned by one of his hands, Shikamaru had easy access to her body. He kissed her passionately as his free hand traced the outside of her kimono, across the breasts. He cupped her gently and massaged one of the mounds.

She let out a small squeak as he played with her. Her belly grew hotter as his ministrations continued. Soon enough, he untied the front of her kimono with one hand revealing her breasts to him.

"Beautiful…" he said as he lowered his mouth to her right one and took the tip into his mouth.

Temari wanted to touch him, but he wouldn't let go of her hands. It didn't bother her in the slightest, she kind of thought it was erotic to be bound by him. She moaned again as he moved to her other breast to pleasure it. His tongue was wet and warm, it made her squirm under him. His free hand moved down towards her lower belly, caressing it. She wanted more…

"It's getting harder to wait…" she said.

"Patience…" he said, slightly muffled with her breast in his mouth.

His hand pulled apart the rest of her kimono and exposed her panties underneath. Just a simple black cotton to match her clothing. His fingers danced on her skin as he released her breast from his mouth and wanted to catch her lips again. His fingers seemed to be hesitating above her panty line now.

Temari struggled a little against Shikamaru's hand which held her wrists and he finally let them go. He continued to kiss her as she decided to take his hesitating hand and guide it under her panties. From there, Shikamaru had more confidence and he touched her hot skin, just inside her thigh. Temari moaned against his mouth and he further explored her. Fingers grazing the little bundle of nerves that sent waves of heat to her stomach. She arched her back as he touched her folds and then pushed a finger into them. Liking the response she gave, a second finger had joined the first and he moved them slowly in and out of her. He could feel her growing more wet, her muscles contracted around his appendages. This was torture for her, but she wanted him badly now.

They broke their kiss.

"I think I'll take this a step further…" Shikamaru said. He stopped probing her and removed his hand from her nether region, much to her dismay. He inspected his fingers for a moment, wetness dripped off of them. "I think I can do better than that." He looked at her and smirked.

"What are…you… thinking?" she asked in light whisper.

Without another word, Shikamaru separated her legs and rested himself between them on his belly. He pulled her towards him, pushing her legs over his shoulders. Temari grabbed at the fur comforter, preparing herself.

He plunged his tongue into her folds and she let out a cry of pleasure. "mmm…ohh…" Lost for words, all she could do was enjoy every minute of it. He swirled his tongue around inside and even laid down a few kisses on her. He let one of his hands roam her lower belly and even reached to hold one of her breasts, cupping it.

Temari was squirming around, slightly bucking her hips. She couldn't help it….it was too damn good. She squeezed the comforter tightly in her hands and lolled her head from side to side. "I'm getting close already…"

"nhnn.." was his response and he didn't stop.

"Please.." she begged. "before I fall to pieces…"

He halted. "I love hearing you beg." He raised his head from her, his chin had her moisture on him and it dripped on the fur. "Do you want me badly?" he teased.

"Yes.." she moaned. "Now…now…"

Shikamaru sat up and brought a hand to his face to wipe off the moisture. "I'll let you have it then." Quickly, he tore his pants off the rest of the way and she did the same by slipping the kimono down her arms and tossing that aside.

She lay back down and he came in on top of her. Her legs spread wide for him and he positioned himself between them. Before entering he reached down to his length and gave it a stroke to make sure he was still hard. She impatiently pulled him down further, his tip just outside her entrance.

"Patience, my troublesome one." Shikamaru said as he readied himself for entry. He was slightly nervous.

"I can't wait any longer." she said.

"I know, but this is a first for me. I'm taking it easy." Shikamaru blushed.

Temari looked up at him in wonder. "You didn't tell me you were a virgin. Good looking guy like you? Not possible." She smirked at him.

"It is very possible, and it's true." his face grew deep crimson. "Enough talk now…" He slowly entered her and gasped. It was so tight and hot. He figured he should give her a minute before moving. "Looks like someone else is a virgin too. Funny, after teasing me and giving me a hard time…"

Temari said nothing. It was true, she had never done this before and she never expected to be with Shikamaru at a time like this. She did have opportunities with other guys, but they were usually scared of her brothers and they opted to avoid her.

She had squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the pain to subside. Her walls were stretching, and she could hear a slight grunt from him. There was something to the ache, not necessarily a bad feeling for her, but it made her heart flutter. She knew Shikamaru would never let her live this down if she cried out or complained about it. The best she could do is close her eyes tightly and bite her inner lip. A light trickle of blood dripped from her lip and trickled down her tongue. The metallic taste distracted her from the ache and having to look at Shikamaru.

He had finally dominated her…Shikamaru couldn't resist her much longer. In the back of his mind he could remember all the times when she would take the lead or brush him off, during a mission of all things. Now he had her right where he wanted her and he moved slowly outwards, leaving the tip of his shaft at her entrance. "You…okay?" he asked. He reached a hand up to her cheek and then stroked it gently. "If you want me to stop, I will. I have no intentions to force you any further."

Temari opened her eyes, finally and looked up at him. She couldn't believe the concern he was giving her. This guy who was like a stone wall, never showing his emotions…unless they suited him best. "…" She couldn't speak. His eyes were staring her down, actually intimidating her.

With her lack of response to him, he pulled out of her completely much to her dismay.

_No, I don't want this to end…a first timer we both may be, but I refuse to give you up…_Temari fought with herself. She instantly grabbed a hold of his shoulders and forced him into a demanding kiss, surprising him. She lavished in him once again, letting her tongue dance against his. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she relaxed as his shaft slid back into her, encouraging him to move at a steady pace.

"You never forced me." she said. "I want this… if anything, I forced you" she chuckled.

Shikamaru gave her a half smile. "Troublesome…" He continued to thrust into her and picked up his pace. He forced his lips on her own and she was beginning to submit to him, letting him take the lead now.

"…mmmm…" Temari moaned into his mouth a little. Her breathing was becoming rapid, his was becoming heavy. Beads of sweat were forming on their bodies as their love making quickened in pace.

They broke their kiss. Her mouth remained open as she groaned and let out whimpers. Shikamaru rose up from his elbows to his palms and looked down at her, eyes partly open and face beginning to flush as he was getting closer. He wanted to see her when she came, wanted to know that he could please a girl such as the rare beauty beneath him. With her hair in disarray and her hands over her head now, practically clawing at his fur comforter, she seemed like an exotic creature. Beautiful and stunning in her ecstasy.

"I…I…am…so…close…" Temari said between pants. "…any.. se..second…"

His own orgasm was nearing…the heat swirled in his belly and was traveling down his groin. Hearing her talk to him, letting him know where she was…it was good. He was truly doing his job, well. He slammed into her, wanting to push her to the brink, hear her scream and then let out his own release…

"ooh…h…ooo.h" She thrust her own hips on instinct and only needed a little more from him to get there. Her clit rubbed against his groin, shooting electricity through her. It traveled through her abdomen making her squirm against him.

Shikamaru's arms encircled her once more and he was moving so fast his hips were becoming numb. He was now biting at her shoulder and her hands scraped at his back. The pleasure was intense. Blood was rushing to his pelvis… he could feel a buildup of heat in his shaft. He held her tightly, between biting and kissing "I can't hold out!"

Temari was bucking wildly, "Don't hold back!" Her nails digging into his shoulders, she finally gave in to the rushing electric waves, forcing them to peak… "I…I…oh..oohh..oooohhhhhhhh!! SHI…KA…OOOHHH" She desperately tried to scream his name but the feeling overwhelmed her and she screamed into his shoulder. Nails scratched and broke the skin on his back, not causing massive damage.

Shikamaru, hearing her orgasm finally let his own overcome him. "rrrr… unh!!" He gritted his teeth as the heat forced its way through the shaft and out the tip of his throbbing erection. It felt so good, so delectable. It drained into her body and she didn't seem to mind.

Skin was glistening in the dim light of the chamber, the room temperature was raised and a musky scent filled the air. The couple, exhausted from their love making collapsed in a heap on the furs.

Still recovering from her own orgasm, Temari relaxed beneath him, holding his head to her chest. Both panted heavily. He was still inside her, it seemed that he had no desire to separate from her. She dragged her fingers through his hair and massaged his scalp gently. It was amazing…never had she felt like this. There was a new glimmer in her eyes, one that made her feel more like an adult now. She was nearing her early twenties and she finally knows what all the other girls her age know. Most girls lost their virginity by the age of sixteen. She heard the stories, and she read many books about love-making, wondering when her time would come.

Shikamaru raised his head from her chest to look at her. "Your orgasm was like heaven to my ears."

Temari blushed and tried to look away, but one of Shikamaru's hands reached up to touch her cheek and make her look at him. "Let me finish, I…like… that you attempted to scream my name. It really told me something…"

"Like what?" she gave him a questioning look. She touched the hand that held her cheek and took his fingers to her lips so she could kiss them lovingly.

"Well…um…I just…gah.. I don't know how to say it." he said. He tilted his head to one side.

Temari reached a finger to his lips to silence him. "I think I know where your going with this. You don't have to say, because the same thing has happened to me."

There was an awkward pause between and Shikamaru nodded his head. "I'm…glad." It was not like him to say such things but when he was with her, it couldn't be helped. Usually, he would make a chauvinistic remark at her or something. This time, he couldn't.

Temari laughed. "Okay, big boy. We'd better get cleaned up and I should return to my own chamber."

"Right. Wouldn't want your brother to kill me if he spotted you in this wing." Shikamaru said as he gently pulled his manhood from her. It was softening up and he noticed a red sheen covering it. He touched his skin and wiped off some of the warm liquid, blood. He looked at her legs…blood dripped onto his comforter from her entrance. He reached one hand to touch her sensitive skin. He touched the folds of her vaginal area and let the warm fluid drip over his palm. He pulled back his fingers and stared at them. All of his fingers besides his thumb were covered with redness. He immediately felt guilty for causing this. "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Temari asked him. "You didn't know that was going to happen? Okay, I found it very odd that you would touch me down there while I'm bleeding, but not actually knowing about _the first time blood?"_

"I knew of it, but I wasn't expecting quite so much. I was hoping I didn't hurt you.." He stared at his red fingers and then at his groin. "That is a lot."

"Well, I was expecting it, and no you did not hurt me. Let me get a cloth…" Temari stood up. She sort of lied to Shikamaru. Though he didn't necessarily injure her, he did cause her some discomfort. As she walked to her clothing laying strewn about, she felt an ache between her legs, like a bruised feeling. It was only to be expected. Thankfully he didn't notice this, she wouldn't want him to feel bad. She rummaged through her kimono until she found her obi. She didn't necessarily like this one anyway and she tore in half. It ripped quite easily and she tossed a piece to Shikamaru. It landed on his head, quickly he pulled it from his face and raised an eyebrow at her. "Use that to clean up. Quickly, before it dries on you."

"Okay, okay woman." He teased and started to wipe ff his hand.

"But I enjoyed you very much." Temari said, out of the blue.

She caught Shikamaru off guard. "mmm…huh?"

"Think of tonight as an early 16th birthday present from me." she said. "September twenty…second…right?"

"Hmm? Oh…yeah, that's right. How'd you find out?" He asked. He had no clue how she came to know so much about him. She must have really done her homework.

"I asked Ino."

"You women all stick together…" he taunted. "But I think I'll let you come celebrate my birthday with me again on my actual birthday." He finished cleaning his hand and started his lower region.

"Is that a promise?" Temari said seductively.

"Oh yeah…just a few days." He licked his lips and smirked at her.

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He couldn't believe it. His sister….and that man? Shikamaru? Not that it was any of his business, he just never could believe that his own sister would feel any type of attraction to that man.

Gaara wasn't angry with them, just a bit taken back. He hadn't walked in on them, it would have been inappropriate timing. Plus severely awkward for her to be caught by her younger brother while she was in the act. But he happened to stumble in while their backs were turned and they were already…well intimate. Not to mention he really didn't need to hear Shikamaru's grunting as he peaked. He quickly exited the room so not to be caught and he was a bit freaked out at first, but calmed himself.

"Whatever." Gaara muttered to himself. It was best not to get involved, and best never to come down this corridor again in the off chance they were at it. He was already disturbed enough. "As long as she's happy."

As he headed back to his own chamber, he suddenly thought of Temari's heart breaking if Shikamaru becomes "clouded" and may even hurt her or worse, kill her. When and if that time comes, he won't be there to help her. His own time will have passed before then.

To be continued...

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Thanks for stopping by! Please let me know how you like this scene in particular so I can improve on future chapters. : )


	5. Chapter 5

I guess it is time to start a new chapter, thanks to my reviewer for leaving a comment on my dialogue. I'll make sure some of the cheesiness doesn't become too cheesy. J As this is my first fic, the comments will help me to develop those scenes they specified, or so I hope. Lol! I'll try my best! Also thank you to those who also left comments regarding the first chapter and the fourth chapter in particular, I'm aware of some of those and grateful for the additional comments on things I may have missed. But don't worry! I'll be sure to bring up loose ends again.

Warning, the chapter contains a torture scene, kids beware….

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Permanent Sunset Chapter 5: Long Road Home?

_Morning?__ Or should it be night? Either way…I guess. _

_Today…Tonight… as of now they are one in the same…_

_Our mission has begun. I said I would be back for my birthday to be with her. But I think I may have lied…this mission will take more than just days. _

_Out front of the burrow the males meet. Naruto, Lee, Gaara, Choji, and myself. Each holding a lantern and waiting for Naruto to push the small boulder out of the entrance of the burrow. _

"Small group Shikamaru, I hope you have a plan for getting in the school." said Naruto with a slight yawn. The entrance partially sealed as he pushed the boulder into place.

"Just close up the burrow and stop complaining. I've already contemplated a possible plan. The enemy is expecting us to return for the other captives, so we may have to try a new approach. Last time we used windows and places that are high up to get inside. I'm thinking we should use ground level entrances. I'll have to see when we get close. There will be guards everywhere." Shikamaru scratched his chin. "Alright, the sooner we leave the better. Kiba and Temari will look after things here."

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"We lost another one."

"What?! When?" Ino demanded.

Kiba looked at the floor and then to Akamaru who lay under one of the medical tables. The dog whined in sadness. "About twenty minutes ago. Four year old, she died of complications with the respiratory bacteria. When her lungs collapsed, I couldn't do anything for her. I was up all night trying my damnest to keep her alive." He sat on the nearest "rock" stool and hunched over to put his elbows on his knees.

"What about the other children? Are they recovering?" Ino asked with a hopeful look.

"Doubtful, they are showing more signs of what the girl had. Fever, chills, pain in the chest when they cough. I don't expect the infant to make it past the next four hours." he said. "The other six are stable right now, but its only a matter of time. I'm counting on Shikamaru's team to get back here with antibiotics quickly. Either that or Sakura waking up. She could extend the time these kids have."

Ino frowned hearing her best friend's name. Sakura was still lying on a table in the hospital wrapped in furs. She had thrashed around after hearing about Kakashi a few weeks back and managed to give herself a nasty concussion. The entire back of her head was black and blue. She hasn't been awake since, not even during the flood.

Ino looked at Kiba's exhausted body. He was resting his forehead on his hands and blinking rapidly as if trying to stay awake.

"Yeah… um, why don't you go rest for a bit? After last night, you're going to need it." Ino said. She got up from her "rock" stool and stepped towards Kiba. She put a hand on his back and gently rubbed it. "You're tired."

"I suppose." Kiba lifted his head from his hands and looked over at the children who lay on the tables, some coughing and the rest asleep. He looked at the table in the center of the room. The little girl who died lay there, fur blanket pulled up over her face. "We need to bury the girl first, then I'll sleep."

"I'll help…"

"You will not! Not in your condition." Kiba restrained himself when he realized he'd nearly woken the patients.

She was irritated with him and refused to give in this time. "Kiba, I'm only about two and a half months along. I won't overexert myself…and Temari is in the main chamber. She can stay here with them until we get back. Besides, I don't know how to break it to the others about the girl's death."

"Fine, but the second you stumble or need a rest I'm sending you back to burrow. I don't care if your only a week along or nine months along. You fetch Temari and I'll prepare the body for cremation." Kiba stood up. "Akamaru...I'm going to need your help too."

Akamaru whined and did as he was told. The two headed to the center table as Ino exited the hospital wing.

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_Lights flickered through the trees as five men raced their way through the darkness. Their lanterns were dim, enough to see in the night and not give away positions._

"We still have thirteen miles to go." Shikamaru said as he leapt from tree branch to tree branch. The others followed him closely in a tight formation. Shikamaru, then Gaara, Lee, Choji, and lastly Naruto. "I've decided on how we're going to split when we reach the village. Listen carefully, I'm placing us in squads of two and the single individual will receive the mission of retrieving medical supplies. The basement level contains most of the captives and will be heavily guarded. We need the most protection and intellectual skill to maneuver around the guards there so Gaara and I will handle that. Lee and Naruto, you will slip into the upper level of the school to find anyone in the labs and release them. There won't be many guards up there, and you can both take them out quickly with muscle alone."

"Gotcha." Naruto said.

"Right." agreed Lee.

"Good." Shikamaru stated as he landed on another branch and paused for a moment to let the others stop on nearby tree branches. "Choji, this means I'm counting on you to infiltrate the medical unit. You have the most physical strength, carry as many supplies as you can. Use your chakra to increase your size if you have to. Leave for the burrow once you finish, we'll catch up with you."

Choji nodded. "Done."

"We'll figure out where to split when we get inside the structure. Lets continue on now that we rested a minute." With that, Shikamaru bounced from the branch to continue the journey with the others behind.

Gaara caught up with Shikamaru and was running alongside him.

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"There. We are finished."

"See, I told you I wouldn't tire out so easily, Kiba."

"Yeah, well I would have preferred if you stayed behind, Ino." Kiba said. "We should return now, grab the other lantern." He pointed to the lantern sitting on the ground nearby.

"Sure." said Ino. She picked up the lantern and gave one last look at the tiny grave they built for the little girl's ashes. There was a small stone with a flower design carved into, created by Akamaru, using a claw. He certainly was a smart dog and loyal. He carried the little girl's body on his back by Kiba's request to the site for cremation and burial.

"Alright, lets get going, I need sleep badly now." Kiba rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake. He yawned.

"You should ride Akamaru back to the burrow." Ino offered. "I'm sure he won't mind.

Akamaru barked and motioned his master to hop on his back.

"See?" Ino smiled.

"I guess. Thanks boy." Kiba patted Akamaru's head and climbed up, leaning forward to relax his head between his dog's shoulders. "You should be the one riding, Ino."

"Don't worry about it, I need the exercise." Ino said and she started walking towards home followed by Akamaru.

The three of them headed back for the burrow in silence, lanterns lighting the way. It wasn't very far to walk and ten minutes went by before they reached home. The boulder wasn't rolled in front of the entrance. They figured they wouldn't be long to take care of the little girl. Ino entered the burrow first and brushed the dust and dirt from her clothes. Kiba climbed off of Akamaru and let the dog go in next. Kiba followed last, moving the boulder behind him to seal the entrance. Once it was secure, the three of them passed the sleeping quarters to check on the little ones. The children were asleep. Ino smiled lightly and watched as a few of them shifted and rolled around on top of each other.

"Perfect, all of them are out cold," Kiba whispered. "They haven't slept in ages. C'mon, we need sleep too, its only a matter of time before the children in the hospital awaken, so best to get in a few hours."

Through the passageways, they returned to the hospital wing. With one final check on the sick, Kiba collapsed into the corner where he had his makeshift bed of furs, Akamaru lay down next to him. He fell asleep almost instantly, resting his head on one of Akamaru's paws.

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_The village was far too quiet…._

_All the lights were off…._

_One to two clouded chunin walked up every street, kicking aside rubble and searching every house and business for intruders. The buildings were falling apart and the roads were cracked and split. Weeds and vines were beginning to grow from every crevice and nook._

_Shikamaru's__ team waited patiently outside the main konoha gates for the patrols to pass and give them their opportunity to sneak inside. The once great gates were broken, one partly shattered at the bottom._

"We'll have to use the same route to reach the old academy. Luckily we weren't seen coming through the gates last time, plus the shattered door hasn't been fixed, thankfully," Shikamaru said in a whisper. "Once this patrol passes, we go quickly…and smother the light in your lanterns until we reach the tunnel safely." Shikamaru pushed some of the shattered wooden pieces aside to reveal a hole in the door. The other side was covered in shrubbery to disguise the hole from the enemy. "Nobody attacks any of the patrol unless it is dire. Just go straight for the underground tunnel. Gaara, lay down a layer of sand from here to the tunnel entrance, there are too many broken branches and dried leaves on the ground just waiting to be stepped on." The tunnel entrance lay 13 feet from the broken gates hidden in brush and rubble.

Rock Lee saluted Shikamaru. Choji and Naruto nodded. Gaara remained quiet and focused on the mission objective.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Lee, wondering how he could be so enthusiastic and turned back to face the broken gate.

"Here come the patrol," said Choji as he peeked through the hole in the gate, careful not to be seen. Shikamaru poked his head out above Choji's for a look and sure enough the enemies were coming back, two of them. He and Choji pulled back and in silence the group waited for the patrol to pass the gates. The enemy did not talk and their footsteps were barely audible but they passed the hole without a second thought. They practically avoided every twig and leaf that covered the ground.

Shikamaru signaled Gaara to layer his sand over the ground leading to the tunnel. Pulling the cork from his gourd, Gaara released a thick layer of sand into the air and let it pass through the gate. It didn't make a sound as it touched the earth, covering up anything that could potentially make a sound. Gaara crept through the gate first and quickly made his way towards the shrub-covered tunnel, followed by Shikamaru, then Lee, Naruto, and Choji. The sand was soft underneath their feet, they didn't make a sound. Reaching the tunnel was simple; it was just as they had left when they rescued Sakura and Ino. Gaara pushed aside the shrubs and let Naruto, Lee, and Choji go inside first.

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_"Why is it blurry? Naruto? Lee? My head…."_

"……..wh…what..the? Someone …tell me what the hell happened…." Sakura slowly sat up, raising a hand to her forehead to wipe away the perspiration. Her head was pounding. "Ice…I need ice…" She looked around the area she was in, it was dimly lit with lanterns, musty, it smelled just like…a hospital? "Ino!" Where was she? Last she knew she was laying on a table being examined by Kiba. Now she was wrapped in furs and still on a table. Lee was by her side when she was examined. Where is he? Sakura

"So…you're awake."

Sakura looked around the dim room, "huh? Where?" She looked into the shadows and saw a woman standing in the entrance to the hospital wing. "Temari?"

"Yes. Now keep it down, people are trying to sleep." Temari crossed the room to Sakura's table. "Heard you took a beating."

Sakura sighed. "Yeah, they did a number on me while I was captive. I wasn't the only one either…Ino and Hinata…" Sakura's eyes widened. "Hinata! Where is she?" she panicked. "I saw Ino with me before, but where is Hinata?!?"

Temari decided it was best to tell her everything that happened at the academy. "I would rather have waited to tell you when you were a bit more recovered; you have a nasty habit of passing out and falling into comas. But…when Gaara and I were sent to the medical ward to rescue you and Ino, we didn't find Hinata. I blew down a wall in the ward and we saw Ino playing the part of a test subject. I have never seen so many needles and tubes sticking out of her. Ino was laying spread eagle on a table with four men all over her, one including …." Temari looked at Sakura sympathetically.

Sakura knew who Temari spoke of. "I know one was Kakashi sensei, you don't have to hold back. I can handle it now," she reassured her.

Temari nodded. "Anyways, Kakashi was ready to finish what he had started. He was holding a very large needle filled with a sedative, to stop Ino's struggling against her bonds. He injected her with that just as we attacked the elites. Gaara trapped the men in sand; he didn't kill them, though he should have. Naruto's influence is responsible for that. So I untied Ino and Gaara was kind enough to lend her his long coat and he was willing to carry her back to the burrow. She passed out on the way here, but she did tell us about the basement as a holding cell. She said Hinata was last seen there, along with other jounin and women of the village. We never made it to the basement or found Hinata; we had to rush you and Ino back. But as of right now, the boys have a new mission. They are heading back to Konoha for medical supplies and to find any other prisoners, so hopefully they will find Hinata and maybe figure out why the spell was cast in the process."

Sakura soaked in all the new information and just didn't want to believe it. "Poor Hinata, she was so much stronger than I was in that cell. I did nothing to try and help her….."

Not being very good at comforting a person, Temari raised a hand to Sakura's back and rubbed in small circles. "Your own situation in the medical wards was no better than Hinata's, you couldn't help her..."

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"Perfect, the hole is not completely covered up at the end!" said Naruto quite loudly. The others flinched in hopes that they would not get caught, otherwise they would have to fight an unnecessary battle. When no enemies came rushing after them Shikamaru smacked Naruto over the head pretty hard.

"Naruto, just keep moving and shut the hell up," said Shikamaru in mild irritation. He restrained himself from strangling Naruto for his little outburst.

The tunnel was nearing its exit and the boys were relieved to reach it. It lay just outside the walls of the academy.

Shikamaru stood near the exit and peeked out to look for enemies, there were none. Only the academy and various other buildings were within view. He turned back to his comrades, "Okay, here's where Gaara and I leave. Lee, Naruto, Choji, you three will stay together until you reach the medical wing, then split up like I said before. Gaara and I will head for that entrance to the left; the basement door is there and is probably weak enough to pull off its hinges." Shikamaru pointed over his shoulder at the partially collapsed door. "You three try to find a low window or another door. Stay close to the ground; they will expect a window break-in from high up." All nodded in agreement. "Let's do this…"

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_The walls are crumbling down on me….water is rising and mud covered the once beautiful stone floors. The basement used to be a small recreational area for the youngest academy attendees. Now it is nothing more than…._

_It's hopeless…._

_My face looks paler than ever, I am starving to death, these shackles and chains were cutting me…but I could not tell them anything…I really couldn't…_

_Just hours ago I had gone through the worst beating and torture I had ever experienced…and they left me alive…to endure the next day of it…_

_Tears stung my eyes. It couldn't be helped…I am the only one left…_

_Those hours keep flashing before my eyes…_

A man had entered my cell alone, cloaked, with his face hidden under a hood. His face unmasked, I could barely see his chin in the gloom, it pale like porcelain. He reached a hand out to me and touched my face; his fingers ran up and down my cheek. I squeezed my eyes shut hoping he would not strike me again.

"Where are they?" the cloaked man asked.

"…." I couldn't speak. My mouth was moving but nothing came out. My voice was gone; my insides felt like they were twisting up and compressed my lungs.

"One more chance…" he said. His voice was slightly whimsical and erotic; most girls would melt before this man just by the sound. "Where are they?"

"… I… I'm con…fused…" I managed to squeak out. My body was shaking now; it was not the answer he wanted to hear. I said to myself "_Hinata you fool."_

He trailed his hand from my cheek down to my throat and gently squeezed. "Confused…" He said sweetly. "Let me enlighten you on the matter." His hand moved even further from my throat to my chest. He massaged my breast and he leaned into me, whispering next to my ear. "I know some of the village's young shin obi infiltrated the academy and took some of the prisoners. I want to know where their hiding now."

My eyes widened, they managed to escape. I heard fighting weeks ago and wondered who had broken in. I have not seen Ino or Sakura since the elites took them to the medical ward and I was left with other women and kunoichi of all ranks. One by one, the women were taken away to be murdered and disposed of for being useless or weak. But, they left me here, alone and cold. I heard talks of my eyes, my kekkei genkai being useful. They must be keeping me alive for that reason and as a possible lead to the remaining ninja of the village.

"So you do know of them," He said as his hand moved even lower to my belly. "Tell me…."

Panic swirled around in my stomach as he continued to caress my naked body.

"…I don't…know…" I said quietly. I let my head hang; it was touching his shoulder now. I was telling the truth, I had no idea where my friends were.

In an instant he moved away and retracted his hand from my belly. "So be it," he said as he headed for the cell door, it clicked shut behind him.

I was terrified now, what would he do to me for angering him? The minutes passed by…still nothing…the utter silence in the hallways outside my cell frightened me even further. Closing my eyes was my only comfort away from this picture. I saw the village as it once was, luminous, full of laughter, and her friends…I remember the first time I met everyone in my class at the academy, I was so shy I ran out of the classroom and hid in the bathroom for hours until one of the chunin proctors found me and led me back to the class. It was Iruka sensei; he helped to ease the embarrassment I felt standing in front of the class trying to introduce myself. I could barely say my name and he encouraged me to say it, as tiny as my voice was.  
Now, what could I do? My sensei was lost to the clouded elites….maybe even dead.

My thoughts turned even darker when I heard footsteps heading my direction. My heart jumped into my throat and my fingers curled into fists causing my shackles to tighten. When the footsteps reached the cell door, I wanted to scream but the sound just wouldn't come. The sound of unlocking….the door creaked open slowly…

I scanned him from top to bottom; he was intimidating; wearing a long coat that touched the floor. His clothing underneath was solid black with a small symbol on the hem of the coat. I couldn't see the shape since the flaps kept overlapping on it. He wore black boots with metal tips covering the toes and gloves that covered most of his hands, leaving the fingertips exposed. His face was under a hood just like the man before. I didn't want to beg for mercy but my heart just wanted to fall to pieces before him.

He closed the cell door behind him and relocked it. I watched him as he turned to face me and reached for something in his coat….what was it? He revealed an iron rod with a rounded tip; he stared right at me… I could tell he was glaring. I couldn't see the words forming at his lips, but he only said three words… "You are useless…"

He uttered those horrifying words to me! I knew what he planned to do….he was going to… "…..!!!!!!!!!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs when he hit me across the face with his fist. My cheek throbbed in pain and he hit me again this time on the other cheek, very hard… he made my lip bleed profusely… another hit across the face made my left eye swell up. Next, he grabbed my chains and unlocked one from the wall and gave it enough length to stretch across the floor to the other side of the cell. He locked it into the opposing wall spreading open my arms and my legs. I was completely open now; he had access to every part of my body. He strode back over to me and stood behind me. He raised the iron rod over his head and brought it crashing down against my back.

"…nnnnnnhhhhhhhnnn!!!!!!!" Everything I shouted was incoherent, but it hurt so much more than anything I ever experienced. Welts began forming on my back; he struck so many times over the same places and was even beginning to bleed. I could feel it trickling down my back and then fell to the floor to mix with the muddy water. My legs gave out from under me, but the chains held me up.

I thought I was about to pass out, but that relief never came. The masked figure had other plans. He placed the iron rod underneath one of his arms to hold it in place while he formed a hand sign.

The sign of the horse? Tiger?

A spark formed in his hands and a bit of smoke which soon developed into a tiny flame. He held it up for inspection and decided it would be…hot enough… He removed the rod from his arm and placed the rounded tip over the tiny flame. After a few minutes, the rod began to turn a bright yellow-orange color signifying that the rod was ready.

I tried my hardest not to cry but this was too much for me. I let the tears spill out, leak down my face as he brought that rod near me, but he didn't push it up against my skin as I expected. Instead he once again placed the rod under an arm with the hot end facing away from both of us and he reached down for one of the shackles on my legs, removing it. He tossed the shackle aside and grabbed at my free ankle, lifted my leg high. He stretched my leg almost to his shoulder; my ligaments could only stand so much. The rod was removed from under his arm and he brought it close to my skin once again, this time it was nearly touching my belly but he kept lowering it….closer to….NO! I had begun to struggle, but the chains restricted my movement and he had a strong grip on my elevated leg. I couldn't escape! He was going to….

"NO!!!! Oh GOD!!!" I screamed. The hot metal touched the skin on my thigh and it burned so badly. "NNNHHHHNN!!!!!" I stopped my struggle to try and avoid another hot poke on my leg but he brought the rod so close to my most sensitive skin. "PLEASE DON'T!" I begged him. "Please!!" But I couldn't see his expression, whether it showed remorse or excitement in my pain. I never found out….I suddenly held my breath…the heat within me had started and I could feel the burn spreading to my uterus. I couldn't hold it any longer and I screamed as loud as I could. He prodded the burning rod around inside me and I couldn't stop wailing. My folds were on fire, my inner walls stung; my chances of children were diminished…….

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Permanent Sunset

Chapter 6: Where is my star tonight?

Thank you so much to a special reader by the name of Musicninja! I saw your review and I had the vigor to start a new chapter right away, you made my day!

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_The sky mourns for her…..tonight it was screaming, static lit up the clouds and the thundering drowned out her voice… the rain fell once again…_

The halls of the academy were dark and dank, much mistier than before. Water continued to flood the cells in the basement causing great damage to the walls and stone floor. Furniture was scarce in this room, but if it were present, it definitely would be matted with mud and grime. Mold began forming in the corners of the cell which she stayed in. Soon it would overwhelm her and poison her.

Hinata's muscles ached. Her wrists were lacerated and her legs bent underneath her, battered and bruised. Blood trickled from her intimate area, burning sensations on the inside of her thighs and her uterine walls felt destroyed. She hung there in the same position as her previous torture session with the cloaked man. He had left her alive, though she wanted death to come so badly. He could have killed her in an instant with a simple blow to the back of her head with that burning rod.

"_He told me I was useless…why the sudden change of heart?"_ Hinata thought to herself. He must have been ordered to stop at some point, or maybe that comment about being "useless" was to frighten me into talking about my comrades. She suddenly had a sense of pride, weak sense, but it was there. She was able to endure the most horrific torture experience in her entire lifetime and not say a word about her friends, a true ninja…fighting to the bitter end. With the renewed pride she finally looked up at the walls to which her chains hung from. The walls were crumbling even more, chips of plaster and paint was peeling from everywhere. Her chains seemed a little lower than normal, just a few hours ago when the cloaked man had hooked them into the wall, they were much tighter and she could barely move. Hinata tugged on her right arm chain, it was slacking a bit. Some of the plaster fell out from around the hooks.

"_The walls are so wet they are weakening, maybe I could…" _

She pulled a bit harder on the chain; it didn't move…again she tugged… it slackened a bit…she kept pulling and pulling. Her arm was getting tired so quickly but she didn't want to give up. She shut her eyes tightly as she pulled with all her might this time, making a fist inside the cuff. She could feel the chain loosening and suddenly, it fell, pulling some of the wall with it. It made a loud clang as it hit the ground, but no clouded elites rushed to her cell.

She was overjoyed to have one of her arms by her side again. Relishing in the moment, she relaxed a bit, trying to regain some strength to pull the chain out of the wall that attached to her right leg. She decided it was best to do her leg next because she'll need her left arm chain for balance as she pulled.

Ready to start again, Hinata grabbed her left arm chain with her right hand and leaned away from the wall connected to her right leg chain and began pulling. It was slightly painful because her legs hurt so badly from her beating already, but the chain was much looser than her arm chains and it cam out much quicker than expected. She fell towards the opposing wall as the chain popped out; tumbling onto the dirty and wet floor, her knees scraped and her hands chaffed. The water was disgusting….green with algae and loaded with bacteria. She needed to get to a dry area and soon.

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It would figure that they would run into clouded elite so quickly. Naruto and Lee managed to get upstairs without being seen but as they searched the labs, Naruto banged his head on a metal cabinet and caused some of its contents to spill out. Two elites heard the noise from the other end of the lab compound and closed in on them quickly. Lee and Naruto hid themselves within the shadows as silently as possible waiting for the elites to arrive in the lab. Lee hid near the doorway which the clouded men would have to step through. Naruto stayed behind the medical cabinets.

As the elites cautiously stepped through the doorway, Lee snuck behind them and used a quick hand technique to the backs of their heads knocking them unconscious. Guy sensei had taught him that as one of his first lessons when he finished the academy and joined in the ninja ranks. It was more of a defensive move, not wanting to cause commotion.

Naruto gave Lee thumbs up and the two of them continued their search of the labs…two rooms later they found no one, except for the remains of what was once a person. It was sickening, a few body parts lay on the floor and all over the table. An arm dangled from the head of the table and blood was draining out of the severed veins and arteries. The scene of a movie, it reminded the boys of a horror flick where the killer would gut a person and let them suffer from shock and loss of blood. A set of legs lay on the floor not far from the dead person's torso, which was propped up against the wall. A long slit across the front was visible in all of its goriness, complete with intestines strewn about. Lee couldn't help but become ill and tried his hardest to hold everything down. He slapped a hand to his mouth and held his stomach while wrenching his eyes from the mess. Naruto had to look away, nausea setting in as well….the poor soul who went through that…being cut to ribbons. There was no trace of the person's head anywhere, nor did they care to look for it.

They moved on to the next room… hoping they would not find another corpse. How many rooms were there?

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She huddled into a corner furthest away from the water, chains dangling off the wall. Hinata couldn't manage to pull the last two out. The wall was still so dry where they hung; they were close to the door. Even if she could manage the strength to rip them down, she couldn't get through the locked door, it was sealed off with chakra. The only way out was by someone outside coming in, they needed to remove the paper seals placed carefully around the door frame. For the time being, she would have to focus on staying alive.

Hinata inspected her free wrist, the gash circling it was clotting, dirt and grime from the cuff mixed in with the dried blood. The cuff dangled down her arm, chains still hanging to the floor. It was extremely loose but her hand was a little too big to slide the cuff off.

"_This will become infected soon." _She rubbed some of the dirt away and closed her other hand over the gash. It hurt so badly, but things could have been worse.

She began thinking of brighter days when she was a genin and in her squad with Kiba, Shino and her sensei Kurenai. All the dangerous missions the four of them had completed…Kurenai sensei was a particularly strict mentor and trained them vigorously. Hinata's skills had tripled by the time of Konoha's destruction but she still struggled to keep up with her teammates. They were so powerful already, but they supported her one hundred percent and even worked with her on their personal time off from Kurenai's training.

She sat there contemplating what would happen in the few hours…

A clang could be heard outside her cell and down the hall…it was a minor sound…but enough to frighten her…

The clang came again…it was an eerie sound…like metal on metal, the kind you here in horror flicks when you knew something was coming at you in the darkness. Hinata was beginning to panic. This wasn't the normal footsteps she always heard coming down the hallway…the noise got louder as it came closer…Hinata tried her best to huddle in her corner in the darkest area. Her chains did not give her much leeway. She curled up her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her face on her arms. _"I have no strength to fight whatever it is…."_ She let her tears flow freely, dripping down her grime covered arms.

The clanging became softer…..it was so close now, just outside her cell door…

She cringed and held her knees even tighter, waiting for it to come inside. She looked up at the door. Something was sliding underneath the cell frame. It looked like shadowy grime creeping up around the doorway. It made a slithering sound as encircled the hinges and began to pull at the steel. Hinata's breathing became heavy and burdened. Her vision was blurring a bit as she waited for the worst. The door was pulled off completely and the grime retracted to the outside. Two figures came into the doorway. Both were looking around as if they had never been in this room before. Hinata hid her eyes again within her arms and squeezed her eyelids shut. She could hear them coming towards her. They sloshed their way towards her, she could hear them. Her body was shaking uncontrollably; she didn't know how much longer she could hold out. Her heart was pounding to the point where she could almost hear it through her chest. Suddenly she felt a hand rest on top of her head.

"It's okay…."

Was she hearing this right? Did the person just try to calm her? She was afraid to look up, fearful that it was false hope and the person might be trying to force her to look up so they could hit her.

"Hinata…"

They knew her name…. cautiously she peeked out of her arms a little bit and at the two figures. She could barely see their faces in the shadow but….. she recognized….

"Shi….shi…shi..k..ka," the words just wouldn't form. She raised her head and uncurled her arms, reaching for her friend Shikamaru. She practically leaped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder crying hysterically. Gaara stood behind the two of them, keeping an eye out at the doorway making sure there were no intruders. He wanted to give the two of them a few minutes; Hinata would need to be calm if they were to get out of here safely. He removed his long coat.

Shikamaru glanced at Gaara, noticing he was holding out his coat to him. Shika took it without question and wrapped it around the naked girl who clung to him. He decided it was best to give her the moment she needed to regain some composure. In the meantime, he studied her arms and legs for injuries as he held the crying girl. Her wrists were black and blue from those cuffs, minor injuries compared to the rest of her. He looked down at her exposed legs and saw they were completely reddened from blood. It had dried to her skin and was beginning to peel off in clumps. Shikamaru closed his eyes for a moment. For him, this was the worst rape case he had ever seen, and he had seen many women in the hospital battered and beaten who were raped, nowhere near this bad. He felt for her…

Hinata was beginning to calm down. The coat was warm from Gaara's body heat and it gave her some form of comfort, she closed her eyes. Relief began to take over and she had fallen asleep on Shika's shoulder, her arms loosened and fell to her sides. Shikamaru supported her and lifted one shackled arm.

"We can break these off. Shouldn't be a problem, looks like she already managed to pull them out of the wall,"

Gaara nodded and released a small amount of sand, moving from shackle to shackle, he let the pressure of sand build up over each, easily breaking the rusted metal.

Shikamaru gathered up the frightened girl into his arms and the two boys headed for the doorway.

"Lets hope our way out is as easy as our way in," said Gaara.

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"Over there!" yelled an elite.

"Shit!" yelled Naruto as he threw a kunai knife at his attacker. "Lee we got more headed our way!"

Lee was already fighting two elites. "Then we'll take them all down!" He swiftly kicked one of them on the side of the head. "I never realized I would have to fight my own village… its devasta…UNH!" Lee grabbed at his right shoulder; he was hit by flying shuriken and fell to the ground.

Naruto was too busy with his own fight to really give Lee a hand. "Lee!! You…alright?!?" he managed to shout as he continued his battle.

"Yea…" Lee said as he pulled a shuriken from his shoulder. "Went in pretty deep..." He winced as he pulled it out. He quickly leapt to his feet.

Naruto threw more kunai at the elites as he made his way to Lee. "We have to get rid of these guys now!"

"Don't be hasty Naruto; we can't take out this many jounin alone." Lee said as he punched one of them in the face trying to fend off another round of shuriken in the process. "Their movements are slow, yes, but they still outnumber us. We have to find the others and get out of here, there aren't any survivors left."

More of the elites began piling into the room and it was beginning to look hopeless for the two of them. Naruto was seriously getting riled up. Both of them had no choice but to use their stronger techniques. Lee ignored his injured shoulder and used his leaf hurricane on a nearby jounin; a strong kick to the head will put him out for a while.

Naruto formed a shadow clone and created his signature technique, the rasengan. He sent an enemy flying backwards in a spiral. The battle went on for ages. Naruto's face had several gashes and countless injuries to his limbs, nothing life threatening. Lee had the worse injuries between the two; the shuriken in particular did the most damage to him. There wasn't enough room in the building to really dodge anything and with the number of weapons thrown by the elites, he couldn't escape them all. He had taken another hit on the lower back and some grazed his arms. He could feel the blood beginning to seep out of the broken skin, only to stain his green outfit. It hurt so badly, but Lee knew he had to endure it now. There was only one more thing left to do to get out of this predicament…. Kill or be killed….. Lee backed himself away from the elites and next to Naruto; they stood back to back, Kunai drawn…

To kill his former friends and teammates of the village….it felt like a betrayal to himself…

"Naruto….it's our only option…."

Both were cornered now. It was eight versus two….jounin versus a chunin and a genin. Odds were they will be dead if they hold back…

Lee gazed at his opponents…Naruto knew exactly what Lee was feeling and said out loud "I'm sorry…."

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"There's the exit, hopefully Naruto, Lee, and Choji have already gone," whispered Shikamaru.

He and Gaara had an easy time in their escape from the old academy. They left the building the same way they came in, unnoticed. The hole outside the building was well hidden, just as they had left it. Gaara made the first move towards the hole, being lookout while Shikamaru cautiously carried the sleeping Hinata so not to wake her.

The second they were inside the tunnel, they quickened their pace because every moment counted for Hinata. She clutched onto Shikamaru's shirt and made little moans of pain. He was beginning to worry, she was slowly moving into shock and her breathing was much more rapid.

"We have to hurry!" said Shikamaru.

"Stay calm," Gaara retorted. "We don't want her to panic; it will draw attention to us if she becomes hysterical."

Shikamaru agreed, if he panicked over her condition, she will worsen. He had to remain leader, who is normally the one with the relaxed demeanor even in the most stressful of situations.

The tunnel was coming to an end, and with no elites in sight, they made a mad dash for the hole in the gates of Konoha and disappeared into the everlasting night, the people of the burrow anticipating their safe return.

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_How long has it been?_

_A day and a half? Since they left…it has been silent. _

Kiba stood watch over the sick in the hospital wing, pondering the return of his comrades. He held the smallest of the children in his arms, only a month short of her first birthday. She was hanging on, but barely. Akamaru lay by his feet sound asleep, snoring gently.

Sakura had awakened just after the team left for the village and was trying her hardest to administer medical jutsu to the children. Unfortunately, Sakura had made it through poisons, internal damage and physical wounds when she trained with the late Tsunade. Curing an illness was out of her hands since it involved the immune system.

Kiba let her help with the care of the youngsters in the meantime until the team returned, but with restrictions. She could not lift over 30 pounds and she was to take several rest periods. Her internal injuries still needed healing, although the external ones had disappeared. She looked almost normal again.

"I can't stand this….waiting on the edge…." said Sakura as she tended to a sick child on the nearest table to Kiba. She was rubbing a light ointment on the child's chest to relieve some swelling. "We should send another team…"

"Who… Sakura!?! Who? We don't have anyone else to send without leaving this place unprotected. As much as I would like to go help them, I am needed here and so are you." Kiba said angrily.

Sakura let out a sigh. "You're right….I just…"

"You want to feel useful…don't you?" Kiba shifted the child in his lap, careful not to stir her awake.

"Yeah…" Sakura put her head down and stopped with the cooling ointment. She closed the container and placed on the table near the child. "I always thought that my medical jutsu would be my…savior as a ninja."

"Your savior? What do you mean?" asked a confused Kiba.

"Well, I never really had any natural talent as a fighter…I was always obsessed with my looks and with Sasuke when he was around, never took my ninja training seriously. But then Lady Tsunade took me as her apprentice and taught me everything she knew about poisons and healing." Sakura turned towards Kiba. "I learned Tsunade's strength as well, but never completed that training. I was weak during the destruction of our home; I cowered again…like I did when I was training under Kakashi sensei. I saw them kill her Kiba. Do you know what it is like to see your master killed in front of you? And then I fell to the ground and let them capture me, I was worthless."

Kiba said nothing. There were times when it was better to just listen, Sakura needed to vent and release stress. He could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes, but he did not want to stop her.

"I didn't help my friends when they desperately needed me; I just lay there, crying. When I was locked up with Hinata and Ino, I despaired." Sakura said. She lowered her eyes to the floor, letting her bangs fall over her face in an attempt to hide her shame. "Hinata and Ino were the ones not ready to give up, even when senseis Anko and Kurenai were taken away to be killed." Her tears flowed freely now and she brought up her hands to cover her face entirely. She dropped to the floor on her knees and let out tiny sniffles and sighs.

Kiba didn't really know how to handle an upset girl, his eyes wandered to his dog Akamaru who was now awake and looking at the kunoichi. He seemed to know what was going on and let out a whimper. Akamaru stood and wandered over to Sakura, nuzzling her face.

"_Thank you, Akamaru!" _Kiba had thought to himself. What timing! A dog could sense anything, especially sadness and were great for dealing with human emotions. It just wasn't Kiba's "thing" to show feelings other than fierceness in battle and a somewhat calm demeanor normally. He was lightly embarrassed at himself for not knowing how to comfort a girl. Kiba sat there watching as his dog placed his head on Sakura's lap in attempt to make her feel better and waited for her to give a good scratch behind the ears. He was trying to be cute. Sakura seemed to be coming around, she gently rested one hand on Akamaru's head and rubbed it gently, making Kiba smile a bit.

A few minutes have gone by and Kiba could hear footsteps running down the corridor to the hospital wing. He looked towards the doorway waiting for the person to appear in it. A blond haired girl came rushing in, panting a bit.

"Temari, what's up? Why the rushing?" asked Kiba. Sakura brought up her tear stained face to look at Temari as well.

Temari caught her breath. "Choji made it back, with a ton of supplies!"

Kiba, Sakura, and Akamaru's eyes leaped on Temari as she motioned for them to follow her. Putting the infant on a table and making it comfortable, Kiba helped Sakura up and the two of them grabbed a lantern each from one of the alcoves in the wall. Akamaru dashed for the door.

"It's about time!" Kiba said as he started running off behind Temari, followed by Sakura.

They were at the entrance pf the burrow at light speed and pushing the boulder aside, ready to help Choji get the supplies inside. As expected, Choji had used a jutsu to increase his body size by three times. Which meant that clothes were bigger as well, he was able to stuff his pockets and ninja bags to the brim with bandages and other items. His arms held even more, three large bags with towels, sterile needles, ointments, you name it! Kiba climbed up one of Choji's legs to get to one of his pockets and pull out bags of medical gear, passing them down to Temari and Sakura to take inside.

Kiba emptied out the first pocket and leapt to the ground, only to do the same on the other pocket. "With this much in supply, we'll be good to go for another few months!" said Kiba excitedly.

Sakura and Temari raced back and force between Choji and the burrow to get the supplies indoors. It took so many trips to get Choji's pockets empty. But they finally succeeded and Choji placed the items in his arms down on the ground. Kiba and the girls began taking the remaining supplies inside as Choji created a hand sign to decrease his size back to normal. Then he grabbed several of the bags himself and rushed them into the burrow.

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"Do what we must….even if it hurts so badly…" Naruto said as he raised his last kunai knife.

Lee narrowed his eyes and stared at his closest opponent. He leapt at the elite, giving it his all and stabbing him in the chest with his knife. The blood poured out of the former comrade and he gasped and grabbed for his chest. He knocked Lee off of him and tried to pull out the knife, but he made things worse by removing it, tearing away at the wound as he yanked it out of himself. The elite fell to the ground and his breaths were becoming shallow.

The other jounin began leaping into battle, attacking both boys for what they had done. Shuriken bounced off the wall and jutsus were cast at each other. Ten minutes of unending battle took place. Naruto and Lee managed to take out another two enemies, slicing one's neck and gutting another. The blood splashed all over the floor, creating a crimson carpet. Now both sides were sliding around as they tried to keep their footing while attacking.

Lee was panting, yet he continued to hold his own. Fatigue was setting in on Naruto as well and he was running low on chakra. He made far too many shadow clones during this fight only to have them destroyed easily. It was now five versus two. Both Naruto and Lee huddled back to back again and took the defensive, unfortunately a bad move this time.

"You are finished!!!" one of the elites yelled and he created a hand sign. "Iron shackle jutsu!"

Lee and Naruto were not prepared for the jutsu and thin bars of metal shot out of the floor wrapping around their legs and snaking its way up to their arms, immobilizing the two of them. Naruto began yelling obscenities at the jounin who cast the jutsu as he struggled to free himself. Another elite punched Naruto across the face just to shut him up.

"Rrrr! Their using the building frame to trap us!" shouted Lee.

"Ya think!" Naruto yelled back. He tried to move his arms, but to no avail. "These guys are pissing me off!" Try as he might, Naruto couldn't get himself loose.

The five jounin stood before their victims, lining up side by side. The one who cast the trap let out a chuckle and pulled a shuriken from his leg holster. "I am amazed at their talent as ninja; their kunai training must have been top notch, unlike ours." He smirked. "We really should practice more often…"

The other remaining jounin laughed and began pulling their shuriken and kunai.

"I think some target practice will do us good, agree?" said the elite to the others who all nodded in a agreement.

Naruto was becoming more and more furious. He tried to glance over his shoulder at Lee but the iron prevented that. "Lee?! Are you even trying to break free?!?"

Lee said nothing. He stared down at the ground, astounded that he was trapped so easily. It had finally come down to his last move. One that he hadn't used in several years…

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Thank you so much for stopping by!!! I'll begin writing chapter 7, but it may not be up until after my wedding, so sit tight. I look forward to hearing from you! Any comments and constructive criticism is welcome, easy on the flames please. Have a pleasant night!


	7. Chapter 7

Permanent Sunset

Chapter 7: In my heart's sequestered chamber.

_I am a splendid ninja…_

_That's what he called me…my master…_

_Even when my arm and leg were crushed…I attained my childhood goal. Now…_ _I aim to attain my new purpose… _

Lee closed his eyes and waited for the first shuriken to be thrown at him. _"What were they waiting for?" _He could here the elites talking amongst themselves, but none were taking action.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" said one of the elites.

Lee opened his eyes and looked up at the angry jounin. Apparently he was referring to Naruto, who now had his head down, staring at the floor. Just seconds ago he was thrashing about and tossing insults at the men. Lee couldn't help but follow suit and wonder if Naruto had passed out or something.

One of the elites stepped towards the blonde and bashed him on the head with his fist, no movement.

"Stay away from him!!!" shouted Lee angrily. Now was the time for Lee to do something before the elites killed them both, but what? "I said leave him-

SMACK!

Lee received a blow to the side of his face by another elite. He spit out some blood and shook his head in attempt to subside some of the pain. That jounin could have broken a bone if he had hit him closer to the bridge of his nose. "ahh…nnn…damn you.." Lee sputtered out.

"Then shut the hell up," said the jounin nearest to Naruto. "You might live a little longer." Then he grabbed a handful of hair on top of Naruto's head yanked it up so he could look at him face to face. The second he lifted Naruto's head, he dropped it just as quickly and stepped back towards the other jounin.

"What is it?" asked one of the other elites.

There was no need for an answer. A growling sound could be heard coming from the boy and slowly he began lifting his head.

Lee gasped. _"Oh shit!" _It was too late, Naruto had been pushed to the limit and his injuries were becoming serious…enough to cause…

Naruto's face had come into view. He glared up at the jounin, snarling and drooling a bit. His eyes had begun to glow and normal pupils became beast-like. His facial features resembling whiskers became overly exaggerated and deepened. It was frightful for anyone to watch.

"Naruto, no!" Lee screamed and he began to struggle, trying to break free of his bindings. The iron was cutting into him and no matter what he did, he only made things worse. Now was the time to act, to free himself, finish off the elites, and save his friend before he destroyed all of them in the kyuubi state.

Naruto was seriously riled up and forced the iron bars to bend; he was seconds away from freedom and ready to destroy his attackers. He growled loudly and finally forced the bars apart, leaping towards the group of jounin who scattered apart to avoid the blow. Naruto chased down the nearest elite and scratched him across the face, causing massive damage on his eyes in particular. The jounin fell to the floor in agony and held his hands over his eyes. Blood poured through his fingers and down his arms, staining his clothing- black sleeves turned blacker and became sticky.

"_Now…" _Lee thought to himself as he watched the carnage taking place in front of him. Naruto took down two by himself; he will need help getting rid of the others. Naruto would also need "forced" help to return to normal. Lee closed his eyes and began focusing all his energy from his center. _"You watched me before…sensei. During this hour….please…watch me again as I achieve my shinobi path!"_

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"Amazing, I can't believe my old teammate could bring this much! Your expansion jutsus have definitely improved"

Choji blushed as Ino praised him for his accomplishment. She had come rushing to the hospital wing when she heard Temari and Sakura running back and forth with the heavy bags. "It was nothing, cake walk through the wards, heh heh. By the way, sorry for waking you…" Choji scratched the back of his head.

"Eh... I couldn't get much sleep; those kids in the main room snore and cry all night anyways. Besides, you didn't wake me, Sakura did." Ino smirked.

"That's no excuse." Kiba interrupted. "You need to be getting at least nine to ten hours of sleep a night. If you're worried about snoring, start sleeping in the hospital wing again where it is quiet and I can keep a close eye on you."

Ino shrugged. "Whatever."

Kiba sighed and continued inspecting the remainder of the bags. "There is so much medicine, thankfully he found the antibiotics Benzyl penicillin and Amoxicillin. They're best for the pneumonia stricken. Sakura, prep the syringes; we're treating the kids immediately. Save the amoxicillin for later."

Ino and Temari stayed in the doorway of the hospital wing and watched as Sakura began taking measurements of the antibiotics. Ino was left feeling a bit irritated and guilty that she didn't know as much medical jutsu as Sakura. But, it was important for her to do her own healing and deliver this baby in the months to come. She balled up her hands into fists and decided it best to just leave the wing and rest in the main room again.

"Ino, where are you going? I told you to stay in here so I could keep an eye on you!" Kiba yelled, slightly annoyed that she didn't listen to his earlier advice.

"Kiba I need your hand here, this little one doesn't want to hold still." Sakura said as she tried to hold the struggling children and administer the antibiotic at the same time.

"Sure just give me a second, my hands are full," said Kiba. He was holding the youngest child again and waiting for her to stop crying from the immunization. "shhh…its ok, its ok…" He put the child up to his shoulder and gently rubbed her back to calm her.

"She looks much better than she did earlier." Temari said from the doorway. "You're certainly good with kids."

Kiba got embarrassed and turned his head away from her. "Think you can take this one off me so I get the next child?" he asked and then cleared his throat, trying to change the subject.

Temari rolled her eyes and did as he asked. She approached him and took the child, letting Kiba stand up from his rock stool and she took his place there. Temari was slowly learning to be more accepting of kids; at one time she was not partial to them. Things were different since their village's destruction.

Two hours had passed by and all the children were given their vaccines, thankfully none had any allergic reactions to the benzyl. Also deciding to be safe, Kiba and Sakura gave themselves, Temari, Choji, Ino, and all the children in the main room a flu shot so they would not become susceptible to the virus. Afterwards, the kids in the main room were sent back to bed and this time Kiba had forced Ino to stay in the hospital wing by giving her some light duties of cleanup while he sterilized some of the supplies in alcohol.

"_Choji did an excellent job…" _Kiba kept thinking to himself. He dipped the needles into the alcohol filled basin and let them sit. He grabbed a nearby towel and wiped off his hands, then tossed it aside on an empty table. "Ino, I'm going to get some shut-eye. Wake me if there is an emergency or if the others come back."

Ino nodded halfheartedly. She was still pissed about being forced to clean up the hospital, especially while the others get the chance to sleep.

"Don't be so angry girly. You've been sleeping all day and you need exercise, the clean up is easy and light." Kiba chuckled at her expense, pissing her off even more.

Ino just lifted her nose up at him and gave him the finger.

Kiba laughed at her rude gesture. "No thanks, you've had enough fucking for the both of us recently." He said sarcastically.

"UGH! You pig! That was utmost insensitive of you!" Ino yelled at him, raising a fist and deciding to throw a towel at him, which he easily caught. "Of all the arrogant, pig headed, egotistical, presumptuous bastards I ever met, you are the worst!" Ino threw her arms all over, trying to find something heavier to throw at him.

"Easy girly, I was kidding!!" Kiba raised his hands out in front of him to show a sign of defeat.

"Yeah you say that now, but when will the next insult come??!? You pretend to be some great "doctor" but you are more like a perverted teenager still!" Ino shouted.

"Hitting a little below the belt lady…." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. "Keep your voice down, you'll wake the kids and what's wrong with my doctoring? I've done nothing but good for this group," Kiba tried his hardest to keep his own voice down.

"You couldn't doctor your way out of….a….a…" Ino stopped short of her insult as she felt a change in her body suddenly. Her lower abdomen was beginning to hurt a little; it gradually grew into aching over a few seconds. She placed a hand on her belly and bent forward, reaching out for the nearest table.

"Nausea setting in from your potty mouth?" Kiba joked. "I almost forgot about the pregnancy and the morning sickness that accompanies it," he chuckled.

Ino stared at the floor as the aching became stronger. She slowly lowered herself closer to the floor and closed her eyes to try and help stop the ache. She rested in a kneeling position, both hands now placed on her belly.

"Hey, you ok? Would you like a bag or something?" Kiba asked, starting to become concerned.

"…..aah…ow… my stomach….." Ino said quietly and began to cry. "Not nauseous…" she leaned far over now, her nose almost touching her knees and she sniffled. "It hurts…Kiba."

Kiba crawled to her side and began to rub her back. "I'm right here, I won't leave you until the pain subsides," he said calmly, giving her a bit of comfort.

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"We're close, hang on Hinata. Gaara can you run a bit further ahead front of me with the lantern? I can't quite see where I'm leaping with her in my arms." Shikamaru asked.

"Sure." Gaara picked up his pace and held the lantern higher to light the area surrounding them as they ran. "Eight miles left. Move faster."

"Why don't you take her for a while and I'll tell you to move faster." Shikamaru said in annoyance. I need to catch my breath, let's stop for a sec."

"Fine. I'll carry the girl the rest of the way after we rest." Gaara hopped out of the trees to the ground and set down the lantern.

Shikamaru landed beside Gaara and decided to place the sleeping girl against a tree. He tugged the coat around her to make it tighter for warmth. "Nights have gotten chillier." He touched Hinata's forehead with his palm. "She's feverish; Choji should have made it back by now with medicine. I hope he grabbed something good, like penicillin." He sat down next to her, Gaara did the same. "We'll only stay for a few minutes; turn the lantern off until we go. We don't need anyone seeing us."

Gaara flicked out the tiny flame, entrapping the three in total darkness. "It's interesting, that not even the moon or stars can get through these dark skies."

"We should have investigated more, may have found out about the night. Who's behind it and all…eh…I'm beginning to hate the darkness." Shikamaru scratched his chin and sighed.

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"It won't…go away…" Ino whined. She lay on her side now with her arms clutching her stomach still. She curled up in a fetal position, blond hair sprawled out around her. Tears dripped down her face. "Kiba…"

Kiba stayed by her, rubbing her back and trying to comfort her. "I want you to get up on a table; I'll get some furs to warm you up." He got up quickly to fetch the furs, half expecting Ino to try a get up to an empty table. But when he came back with the furs, he found her sitting up, and staring at the floor again with a shocked expression on her face. "What's wrong?" He cocked his head.

"H..h.elp me…" she barely squeaked.

"Ok, ok…let me help you up." Kiba gently took her hands and slowly pulled her up to her feet. His arms wrapped around her waist to support her. She lay her head on his shoulder and let her arms hang at her sides. Kiba glanced over her shoulder at the back of her legs. "Try to stand better….what the hell?!?" Kiba noticed the floor below Ino and saw a large red puddle on the floor. "Oh shit!!" Ino's feet were covered in red and he could see more blood running down her legs. Acting quickly, Kiba picked her up bridal style and carried her to an empty table. He had to examine her immediately. "Ino this is going to be really awkward for you."

Ino didn't say anything, just a small yelping sound when he placed her on the table. He tugged the fresh furs over her chest and held one of her hands and the other hand on her cheek to force her to look at him. "I need to get Temari to help."

Ino stared at him and whimpered, "Don't leave me…alone…ple.a..se…." She grasped his hands between hers and cried into them.

Kiba felt so terrible for having mentioned leaving her for even a second. "Ok. But please take this nice and easy for your comfort."

Ino squeezed her eyes shut and knodded, she let go of his hands.

"I'm going to remove your skirt, shorts and undergarments. Be ready." Kiba said, lightly flushing.

"Mm hmm, ow.." Ino moved her hands under the furs and onto her abdomen again. "It hurts so badly."

"I know it does. Try to bear with it; I can't give you medicine until I figure out what it is." Kiba slid her skirt down her legs and tossed it aside. "I don't think these clothes will be salvageable. Your skirt might make it but your shorts are destroyed." He gently pulled off her shorts along with her undergarments, staining his hands red and threw them in the corner of the room to be disposed of. Next Kiba grabbed a fresh towel and sent Akamaru to get a bucket of clean water. There was no complaint from his loyal dog and he ran off to fetch it. "Ok then. Ino, I need your feet flat on the table and knees apart to the edge of the table."

Ino raised her knees and did as he asked. She clutched the furs to her chin and waited for further instruction. Akamaru had already returned with the water and Kiba took it and placed on the table next to her. He dipped the fresh towel in the bucket and wrung it out. After finishing with the bucket, he folded the towel neatly and stood before Ino, glancing at the area between her legs. He took the cloth to her groin and began to wipe off her inner thighs. Ino closed her eyes again; face twisting in pain as he put a little pressure on her pubic bone. All the blood wiped off easily, but it continued to drip out of her opening so Kiba grabbed a fresh towel and coaxed her to raise her bottom. He placed it underneath her to soak up anything else that dripped.

"Ok, I'm going to touch you 'there' in a second. Just wanted to let you know…k?" Kiba said as he patted the area close to her genitals. Kiba then dipped both hands into the bucket and washed away the blood and dirt, getting them as clean as possible. He dried his hands on a fresh towel and stood at her feet again. "Ready?"

Ino nodded. She spread her knees a bit further to make it easier for him and she tried her best to relax.

Kiba reached down to her folds with his right hand and gently pressed two fingers into her. Pushing them as far as he could, he made sure not to hurt her.

Ino moaned a little in slight pain. She was also turning red from her contact with Kiba. He kept moving his fingers around and touching every inch of her birth canal.

"Sorry..." Kiba said. "I'm looking for internal injuries."

"Ah ow... I know…ow." She said. Her fingers were curled around the furs even tighter and tears stained her cheeks now.

"I think I know what happened." Kiba said and he withdrew his fingers from her.

"What?!? What is it?" Ino exclaimed, now holding her hands over her mouth ready to hear his diagnosis.

"Placental abruption." He said. "I found no injuries in your canal or on any of your lining. Bleeding is a typical symptom of abruption, as is uterine aching. But, unfortunately there is no real treatment for this condition. Your case doesn't seem severe since I just pulled my fingers out with very little blood on them, meaning the placenta probably is re-attaching itself to the uterine wall."

"How do you know so much about this?" Ino shifted her weight on the table to rest on her side. She looked at him completely dumbfounded.

"When my late sister became a vet she looked after several pregnant wolves and dogs. A small percentage of them had a situation similar to yours and sometimes we had to surgically remove the puppies to save them. The other mothers healed on their own, because the placentas on their pups were only partially abrupted. Those mothers were able to carry the pups to full term and no surgery." Kiba said proudly. "My sis taught me everything she knew, hoping I would become a vet too."

"Oh…well, you certainly know your stuff about dogs." She was amazed in his knowledge of animals.

"As of today I am putting you on complete bed rest for a week, no strenuous activity throughout the rest of your pregnancy, and you are to increase your food intake. Don't try to skip meals worrying about your figure or nothing, because it will be gone in a month when you start showing." Kiba laid down his rules to her, with the abruption; she had no choice but to comply. "Hopefully the placenta attaches completely to the lining."

It was strange; she didn't seem to put up a fight, just a half hour ago they were butting heads. "Ok..." she said. "At least I only have to do this for another six months."

"Yeah well, the hardest month is number nine. I want you to be prepared for that." He said.

"Fine…but can I still take walks for exercise? Please…?" Ino pleaded. "It is way too stuffy in these caverns."

Kiba gave it some thought and picked up a towel to wipe his hands on. "After your bed rest week is over, yes. But you will have someone accompany you."

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_It is swirling in my center…it is almost time! I release the first inner gate!!! _

"Gate of Opening!!!" shouted Lee. His chakra gathered in his center and began forcing its way to his limbs. It was becoming visible for the elites to see. Lee's restraints were weakening as his chakra caused them to melt away.

One of the jounin was heading for him, kunai in one hand and sword in the other. Rushing at Lee, he was aiming for the throat.

Chakra swirled around Lee's body as he continued to release his inner gates. His bindings melted away completely. Raising his fists to his face in a crisscross; he screamed, "Gate of Rest! RELEASE!"

His skin took on a darker hue and his eyes were like white pearls, lost off all emotion.

"_I must open at least …one more gate… Naruto…you need to snap out of it!"_

"_It is now or never!"_

"Gate of Life!! RELEASE!!" Lee burst through the air at his attacker and lay a large blow to the man's abdomen knocking the sword and kunai out of his hands. The two of them slammed into the wall really hard, the jounin took the brunt of the blow, killing him. His spine had been severed.

Bouncing off of every wall, Lee forced the elites back and tried his best to avoid Naruto, who was becoming more feral by the minute and attacking everything in sight uncontrollably. A chakra tail had finally formed, flowing behind him. It needed to stop before it reached two, otherwise Lee couldn't restrain him, not without a special seal.

Naruto slashed at the fallen jounin, who bled heavily from his scratching and Lee's pounding. It was as though he wanted to ensure his death.

With the other elites to worry about, Lee couldn't help Naruto yet and he was running out of stamina. Soon he would be seriously weakened from the inner gates. In order to salvage a little strength, Lee decided against opening the fourth and fifth gates. _"I have to take them out fast…this is my final option."_

Lee picked up two kunai from the floor and held one in each hand. He pressed the knives to his chest and closed his eyes. These were leaf village jounin…comrades… "Forgive me…" Lee rushed to the remaining elites at the speed of sound and encircled them. He readied his kunai and quickly passed each man one at a time, slashing their throats, letting the blood flow freely down their fronts. They all fell to their knees and were attempting to cough, clear their throats, anything to help their breathing…but they were dying an utmost painful death. More blood poured from the gashes and their faces paled. Soon they all lay still…

Lee panted and dropped the knives. He couldn't believe that he actually killed someone…more than one…he knew the life of a ninja could be deadly. But he himself had never been the one to throw the final strike at an enemy. He wanted to cry for what he had done to them, but he still had a friend in need.

Naruto was flailing on the corpses, he seemed animalistic. It was mere minutes before another tail would grow. Lee wanted to take a mild approach to him. _"Try to stay calm, Lee…you can do this…" _he said to himself. He let the last bit of chakra leave his body, weakening himself further. Releasing three gates took its toll on him, but he couldn't let Naruto see this or he would be in danger himself. His back faced Lee.

"Na..Naru..to…"

"_Idiot… don't let your voice show your fear!!"_

"Naruto…"

Lee hoped he had some sort of connection with him since Naruto had become motionless when he called out to him. Naruto glanced over his shoulder, showing Lee his red eyes and those demon-like pupils, growling just a little.

"Can you…recognize me…? It's me…Rock Lee…a close friend of yours…" He raised a hand to his chest, referring to himself.

Naruto slowly turned himself around, he was on all fours snarling at Lee.

To be continued…..

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I am so relieved….I just came back from my wedding, which was a blast by the way! I spent some time on this chapter, my goodness was it a difficult one. I had so much to research for the Kiba/Ino scene! But I fear this may not be my best chapter…please let me know what you think. I look forward to it And see you next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

I am so grateful…. I have many readers! I'm so happy this story is turning out the way it is! So now I introduce to you in this chapter, two familiar new ninja!

Permanent Sunset

Chapter 8: And the Countdown Continues

_His long coat swayed behind him…menacingly…barely touching the floor. That dark cloak that hid his face…he stood before his disciples waiting…. _

"Master…clouded elites were disbursed to the old academy."

The elite master gazed upon the remaining clouded. "It is likely that those "elites" will be annihilated. The strongest and most talented stand before me now. I know this from prior experience with all of you…Kakashi Hatake, Neji Hyuga, Might Guy, Ibiki Morino, and our remaining allies from the wind country; Kankuro and Baki. Decide amongst yourselves who will go to the academy and bring to me the intruders." The dark figure raised one gloved hand and dismissed the former pupils and sensei to the once flourishing city. "Do not disappoint me…."

All the ninja bowed to their master and waited for him to take his leave to Lady Tsunade's old office. Following his departure, they divided into three groups. One group to guard their master's headquarters, another to scout the city, and the final to go to the academy. Neji and Baki stayed at the headquarters, Kankuro and Ibiki disappeared into the city, Kakashi and Guy decided to handle the intruders at the academy. The two of them leapt from the highest window of the building and made their way to the school in silence.

From within the office guarded by the two jounin, the darkened figure stood at the windowsill looking out at the night sky. "No stars…as I had wanted…"

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"_Hey….HEY, wake up!"_

"Wh…is it…hmmm?"

"Get up now, we're being followed…" Gaara said sternly. He grabbed the sleeping Hinata from Shikamaru and held her bridal style, still wrapped in his coat.

"Shit…I musta dozed off…" Shikamaru groggily hopped to his feet and scooped up the lantern.

"Leave the light…off…."

"Gaara we need to see where we're going…." Shikamaru attempted to turn it on. "We can dim it…"

"Damn. Too late…they're close. We can't let them find the burrow, we stay and fight then." Gaara pushed past Shikamaru to find a heavily leaved bush to hide Hinata in. Finding one, he gently laid her beneath it and pulled down some of the branches to conceal all of her. "Pull your weapon." Gaara whispered as he released his sand in preparation for the attackers.

Shikamaru dropped the lantern and grabbed his kunai from his leg pouch and a handful of shuriken from his beat up chunin coat. The two teenagers waited…

The rustling was coming closer; it was odd that whoever they were didn't try real hard to conceal themselves. Soon enough, there were footsteps and light whispers coming from the darkness. Shikamaru swore he could have heard one of them say "someone is ahead of us" and a "lets investigate." He squeezed his kunai tightly waiting for them. Without the light, it made things worse and the enemy has the advantage because of the injured girl under the shrubbery. Still he waited…until he felt something touching his leg. It seemed to be…crawling or slithering. Shikamaru could feel a shiver go down his spine. "Gaara…"

"Yeah same here…something crawling up my leg and another down my neck."

"Don't move a muscle, it may be a genjutsu." Shikamaru whispered. He was practically holding his breath now.

"Wait, the sensation is leaving my leg." Gaara said. He reached down and touched his calf. "What the hell?"

"It left me too…" Shikamaru touched his own leg.

The two stood there, bewildered until the voices could be heard again a few yards ahead of them. "It's gotta be them…" This voice was feminine and the other chastised her for her little outbreak of excitement.

"Keep your voice down…my beetles do not sense any threats coming from them but that doesn't mean we should be less cautious."

Shikamaru thought he had heard wrong. "Beetles? I think I might know…it has to be." Shikamaru took the chance to call out "SHINO!" Afterwards a large amount of sand covered up his mouth, a definite sign of Gaara's irritation.

Through the darkness, the voices raised a little bit more. "See I told you. They know your name, the beetles were right about them," said the female. "Shikamaru!" she called out.

"nh…."Gaara sighed. "At least we know it isn't an enemy." He let the sand fall away from Shikamaru's mouth. "Turn the lantern on so they can find us."

Shikamaru picked up the lantern and re-lit it. "Shino! Come towards the lamp! It's us!" He raised it up high and let the light seep through the trees, eagerly awaiting his comrades to join them.

Stepping from the dark were two people who both boys knew to be Shino and Tenten. They were in pretty good shape, despite bruising and torn clothing.

"How did you two manage to get out of Konoha during the destruction?" asked Shikamaru. "You were also missing for so long…where were you?"

Shino stated in his usual odd tone, "We were coming back from a mission, a simple C-rank escort. We had a decent amount of bandits attack us, our chakra was low but not depleted. It was really nothing the two of us couldn't handle. We regained some chakra by the time we came back to Konoha, but, when we came back the city was already up in flames and the sky started to grow dark. People lay along the streets, dead. With the two of us almost empty on chakra, we didn't get very far into the city. Our own ninja started attacking us and I was forced to create clones with my insects and take Tenten as far from there as we could get. We waited a day before going back to see if anyone survived, but the streets were quiet. Once again we were faced with our own jounin. They were different though. Eyes were glazed over with gray and they were merciless. Twenty versus two was impossible and we fled a second time. Over several weeks we stayed out in the woods and even traveled to Suna."

Gaara interrupted, "What of my city? Did you find anything?" He crossed his arms waiting…

"No." Tenten said. "The city was empty, we explored it. We must have circled it several times, searching for water and other supplies. We stayed in your old office until it started to crumble from beneath our feet."

"No survivors…" Gaara said. It wasn't a question…he just knew.

"I'm sorry." Tenten lowered her head, ashamed of herself for not bringing better news for the Kazekage.

After a moment of silence Shikamaru touched Tenten's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "We have to move on, it isn't safe here. We have injured, she needs treatment as soon as possible. Gaara, can you take Hinata the rest of the way, or do you want me to?"

"Wait a minute…wait! Hinata?!?" Shino exclaimed. "Where is she?!"

Gaara replaced his sand back into his and went over to the nearby shrubs, pulling up the braches and gently picking her up again. "She's alive, but she went through horrible experiences while she was captured."

"What happened to her?!" Tenten cried out and she rushed to Gaara's side to look at Hinata's bruised face. She gently touched the unconscious girl's cheek. "Oh...Hinata…"

"We'll explain on the way…we go now." Shikamaru said.

The five shinobi leapt into the trees and rushed for the burrow, Shikamaru in the lead.

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"Sakura, I need your help in the medical ward."

"Yeah, sure. What's going on Kiba?" Sakura asked.

"Ino had a placental abruption. She's okay right now …don't panic. I told Ino that you might be able to relieve some her aching. I don't have a medicine that wouldn't affect the embryo besides antibiotics and she already had her vaccinations."

Worry fell over Sakura's face, and she quickly hopped out of her bed of furs and rushed down to the hospital ward. "Ino…Ino?"

"I'm here Sakura." Ino squeaked. She lay on the very last table, fur pulled up to her chin.

Sakura rushed to her side. "Where can heal you, where does it hurt?" She gripped Ino's hand and waited for her response.

"My lower abdomen hurts." Ino pulled down the furs and revealed her half naked body, she pointed to the specific area, just a few inches below her belly button. "There."

"Ok. I'm going to give you a heating sensation with my chakra. It will be the best I can offer." She noticed the puddle of blood on the floor. "Was that from…"

"From me." Ino said sadly. Her face was red and lightly swollen from crying. "Hurts…make it go away Sakura."

Sakura cried a little. She had never seen her best friend in such a state. Ino was always feisty and over confident. Now she seemed to be a lost and lonely little girl. Sakura placed both of her hands on Ino's belly, thumbs touching slightly and let her chakra flow through her fingers. It absorbed into Ino's skin and created warmth.

Kiba had rushed into the ward, to check on Ino and see Sakura's progress, Temari and Choji had followed him. Everyone had found out about Ino's difficult pregnancy and came to see how she was. Kiba assured Choji in particular that Ino would be fine in a week and back to her old self.

As they rushed to her bedside, Sakura pulled the furs down to cover Ino's dignity ad left her hands underneath them to continue her treatment.

_It was so good…the aches were leaving her body…._

Ino didn't make a sound as Sakura continued; she couldn't help but close her eyes. Her friends were talking, but it didn't matter. She had relief now….as she was happy…enough to…sleep…

"Out like a lamp." Kiba whispered. "That's good, I was afraid she stressed herself too much during the whole episode. At least an hour of panic and not so good for the baby either. We should let her sleep now."

"I'm going to stay." Choji said.

Kiba interjected, "We really shouldn't…Ino needs…"

"She's my teammate."

Kiba couldn't argue with that, he knew Choji wouldn't listen to him anyways. So he tapped Sakura and Temari on their shoulders and led them to the main room to get some rest. Kiba would stay up to watch the entrance.

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_Close….closer… they sped through the halls of the academy, hunting for them…_

_A crash from above… _

"_To the medical wing." _

_Guy nodded at Kakashi and the pair disappeared down the hall to nearest staircase…._

"Naruto….don't fall under the fox's influence… I know you can beat this…" Lee lowered himself to the floor on his to show Naruto that he was no threat. It hurt him to do so, blood splattered and slipped down Lee's torso. He suffered terrible wounds from those shuriken. Naruto didn't even let his injuries faze him, most likely from the fox's healing powers. "Please…Naruto…"

It seemed to be working. Naruto wasn't glaring or showing his teeth to him anymore. Instead, Naruto fled the scene by hopping out of the nearest window, shattering the glass. A loud thump could be heard outside where Naruto hit the ground and he sped off, still consumed by the fox chakra.

The sound was loud enough to attract the attention of Guy and Kakashi. Unfortunately Lee was at the point where he couldn't move due to his blood loss and the opening of the gates technique. He plowed forward, face down onto the dirty floor. His world was turning black…blacker…until it was still. Nearly unconscious, he felt two sets of arms pick him up roughly.

"_He's alive…"_

"_Let's take him to the master."_

They carried Lee back to their master's quarters and into the former hokage's office. They placed Lee against a wall; his head slumped over and arms resting on his legs.

"Master, we found one intruder in the medical wards. Where the other went, we're unsure." Kakashi reported. "There was more than enough evidence to suggest a struggle and this boy alone took out several of our shinobi."

The shadowy figure rose from his desk and passed the two kneeling jounin to look at Lee. He harshly grabbed Lee's jaw and moved his head from side to side before releasing it. "Put him in a cell, chained. Treat his wounds and one of you guard him. He has two weeks…"

"Yes, my master." Guy said and he picked up his former pupil with incredible ease and headed downstairs to begin preparations. Kakashi followed closely behind.

The shadowed figure returned to his place at the desk. "Rock Lee…hmm…he will make an interesting elite." Gently, the man pulled off his hood, letting his black hair fall to his shoulders.

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_They were nearing the burrow…five minutes away…they had run all night._

"I'm exhausted." Tenten said, panting. "We've been traveling for days…"

"You won't have to go much farther, we're close." Shikamaru said. He held the light out ahead of him. "We hit the clearing; the burrow is just over that hill."

The trees ended and the open terrain begun, the mountains appeared in the distance leading up to the pass. They had finally reached the burrow entrance. Shikamaru and Shino moved the heavy rock over the entrance to let everyone inside. Kiba was already waiting near the entrance and surprised to see Shino and Tenten.

"You guys are alive! I can't believe it!" Kiba smiled at the two of them.

"We'll tell you our story later Kiba, right now Hinata is in trouble." Shino showed deep concern for his teammate and followed Gaara indoors. They rushed her to the hospital wing, scaring Choji when they came bursting in. Ino had woken up in the process, mildly irritated.

"Put her there." Kiba referred to the table next to Ino. _"Why did it have to be Hinata…."_ It saddened Kiba to think about what they may have done to her.

Gaara placed her on the table and Kiba set to work right away. "I feel like I'm running an ER sometimes, if it isn't one thing, it's another. Can one of you guys fetch Sakura? Quickly! Choji, would you mind waiting outside?"

"Sure." Choji jumped up from his seat and assured Ino that he would visit her later.

"See ya Choji." Ino said before rolling over and curling up under her furs.

Shikamaru exited the wing to find Sakura and bring her to Kiba. Not even a minute went by before Sakura charged into the room past Gaara and Kiba, instantly leaning over Hinata to check out her face. She could barely recognize her through all the bruising and swelling.

"We need to figure out internal injuries." Kiba said. He whistled to grab Akamaru's attention. "C'mere boy!"

The large dog whined and did as his master told him. He trotted happily across the room from his usual corner. He licked Kiba's hand and waited for orders.

"Think you can get fresh water?" Kiba asked.

"Aarf!" Akamaru barked.

"Good boy, the burrow hasn't been covered up yet, go quickly okay?"

"Woof!" and off he went.

"Sakura, why don't you prepare vaccines and I can get started on her. She will need them asap. Gaara, think you can watch the doorway, make sure no kids come in?" Gaara nodded and turned towards the entrance, his back facing Kiba and Sakura.

Kiba took Sakura's place leaning over Hinata and inspecting her neck and face. She wasn't breathing heavily, but quickened and unsteady. "She's in shock." He wanted to listen to her heartbeat, so he pulled down the top of the coat she was wrapped in. The material still covered the top of her breasts, for modesty purposes. He lowered his head to her chest ready to listen….

_------------------------------------------------------------_

_Thump…thump…thump…_

_It was going so fast….her heart…why is there a weight on my chest? Something is…holding my wrist…and feeling for something…_

_Were Shikamaru and Gaara rescuing me all a dream?_

_She moved her toes…slightly…her fingers twitched…_

_Tears fell down her cheeks as she lay there. _

_But who is talking?_

"I need a closer look at her. Why don't you start with her legs…"

_No…no….they can't do this to me again! They will violate me!! I have to…move... c'mon Hinata, move!!_

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"I think she is waking up!" Kiba said excitingly. He got a touch closer to her face and he watched as her eyelids fluttered open and for a second gazed at him. But he didn't receive the reaction he was hoping for from his teammate.

Hinata screamed at the top of her lungs and threw herself off of the table. She hit the floor with a thunk and crawled to the nearest corner, naked and in total panic. Ino woke up angrily from her beauty sleep and watched as Hinata had her episode.

"Ino, just stay put and don't make a sound. Hinata…Hinata it's just me…your teammate Kiba." Kiba tried to go near her but she curled up into a tight ball, her face planted in her arms and her knees to her chest. She was shaking.

Gaara turned around to see what the fuss was about. "Kiba…let Sakura and Ino handle this; two guys in here will only make the girl panic more. Let's leave, we can send in Temari to take our place."

Kiba hesitated and then followed Gaara out of the hospital wing while Sakura slowly approached Hinata.

"Hinata…can you look up at me?" Sakura pleaded. She took another step and no reaction came from Hinata. She was a few steps away now.

Ino had climbed down off of her table very slowly, forgetting about her rest and wanting to comfort the girl on the floor. She dragged her furs with her, preparing to wrap Hinata and herself in them.

"Hinata…do you remember us?" Ino asked.

No response. But Hinata seemed to be calming down as the girls got closer. They could hear her sniffling and mumbling something about an iron bar. Sakura and Ino looked at each other in confusion; she must still be delirious from her horrid experience.

Finally the two girls reached her and they both kneeled to the floor. Ino wrapped the fur around herself and Hinata while Sakura sat next to them both, placing a hand on Hinata's back and moving it in slow circles. They sat like that for a few minutes and waited for Temari to come in.

Ino hugged Hinata and said something nice for a change. "Things are going to be okay now…"

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A wee bit shorter than my normal chapters and not as exciting, but this one had to be written.


	9. Chapter 9

What a past two months! I haven't written anything in so long that my readers are probably disappointed in me. Fear not, I have finally sat down to create the next chapter. I also received advice from wonderful reviewers about my reference materials and I will be checking out my Naruto books for misspellings and names. It is surprising when even the most simple anime files book based on manga has name malfunctions! Apparently I do too! LOL! XD On with the story!

Chapter 9

Permanent Sunset: I am here for you….

_One week has passed…Lee and Naruto never returned from their mission. She is now frightened for their well being. Now she must control her emotions to help the people of the burrow…Hinata…_

Temari guarded the entrance from the boys who were waiting patiently in the cavern hall. Kiba sat with Akamaru's head in his lap, Shikamaru and Choji each leaned against a wall opposite each other, staring at the ground. Shino had been pacing like crazy for the past half hour, an action that he rarely did since he almost never shows emotion. Gaara waited patiently, nearest to his sister. He stood before her, not saying a word and arms crossed.

Inside the hospital wing the remaining girls were tending to Hinata. She had finally calmed down enough in the past week to where Sakura could fully examine her injuries. Tenten served as an assistant to Sakura and Ino was strictly a comforter for Hinata since she wasn't allowed to lift or do anything strenuous. Hinata was sound asleep during the entire exam, it was better that way. She had been unconscious for the days that passed and the girls did not want her to wake up with another male in her face, causing another panic attack. Sakura spent most of the exam time on Hinata's wrists, ankles, and lower abdomen.

"What is this?"

"What is what? Ino asked curiously.

Sakura studied the little piece of fragment. "I just pulled this from Hinata's birth canal. It looks like a piece of wood or…metal even."

Ino stood up from her seat next to Hinata's table. "Metal?" She went to Sakura's side and studied the little piece.

Tenten's curiosity got the better of her and she wandered over from the medical supply bags to have a look. "Strange…do you guys remember her mumbling anything when she was hysterical? Maybe she said something about this."

Ino thought for a moment. "We did hear her say something about an iron b-………"

It was exactly what the girls thought, a piece of iron. Sakura took a deep breath and dropped her head slightly. "I can't believe this happened…. They stuck her with this. Now I understand why she is so afraid of the boys…" She took the iron piece and placed it in a towel lying on Hinata's table. "Let's finish the exam and get her cleaned up. She hasn't been washed in weeks; it will make her more comfortable."

Another hour had passed…

"Girls, I think we should wait on her cleanup until tomorrow. I have news for you and the boys. Let's cover Hinata and I'll meet you in the hall." Sakura looked so sad as she said, "The exam is over."

Quietly, Ino and Tenten left the medical wing. They passed by Temari and were instantly facing the concerned looks of the boys. Ino spoke up, "Sakura is coming out here with news for all of us."

The boys tensed up. Kiba shifted Akamaru's head and stood up next to Shino. Choji, Shikamaru, and Gaara stood in a line against the wall opposite the entrance. Sakura had finally emerged from the wing, carrying a small towel in her hand. It was folded up.

Sakura cleared her throat and stared at all the anxious faces. "I don't know where to begin…"

"Start with her wrists and ankles or something…" Kiba said. "Are they terribly wounded?"

"Thankfully no, but they had a lot of rust particles in the infected areas. The girls and I were able to fully clean them out. Whatever chains the enemy used, were brittle and falling apart." Sakura paused, thinking for a moment. "There were several contusions all over her body. They beat the hell out of her, fracturing a few ribs. Those are now stable and hopefully they will heal correctly without having to worry about surgery in the future. Last…her internal exam…" Sakura now glanced at the floor trying to find a way to tell her friends. "When I looked at her lower abdominals and her birth canal I found a fragment inside of her." Sakura opened the towel she held to reveal to everyone the little piece of iron.

Shino and Kiba were dumbfounded. "What is…" Kiba asked.

"Iron." Sakura said, close to tears.

"Iron?!" Shino repeated. "How?"

"They did the most horrible things to her, I can't tell you why they used iron bars on her. But that isn't the worst part of my exam." Sakura said. Clearly she was crying now and squeezing the towel roughly. She tried to compose herself somewhat, but failed to do so. "Hinata's internal injuries along her canal were so …severe…"

Sakura broke down and dropped to her knees, Ino behind her in an instant holding her shoulders and gently massaging. "Tell us, Sakura…"

The boys glanced at each other, wondering what could be more terrible than having an iron bar forced in an area it does not belong. Tenten and Temari kneeled, joining Ino in supporting Sakura.

"I'm sorry…" Sakura said. "Just give me a second…" She wiped her eyes on her shirt collar and prepared herself for her final statement. "When I looked at the birth canal I saw massive scar tissue and several burn marks, suggesting the iron was at an extremely hot temperature when inserted in her. Meaning that while they were injuring her, they were closing the wounds with the heat at the same time, like cauterizing."

The boys were in a state of shock. Shino and Kiba sat on the floor next to each other in disbelief. Kiba raised a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. Shino lifted his knees up and rested his arms on them. They didn't want to hear anymore but Sakura went on.

"This next piece of information will hurt Hinata the most."

"There's more?" Kiba looked up, becoming angrier by the second.

Sakura glanced at him. "Yes." She wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath. "It is likely, due to severe injury to her uterus, Hinata will never be able to have children."

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_Several days have passed again and a lone figure sat in a cell, heavily chained to the point of discomfort. His wounds were dressed and properly cared for by his guards. Every time "They" came to see him, he would spit at them, curse at them, and try anything to make their job more difficult. But they ignored his comments and continued with their business of force feeding him and changing the bandages on him. He wanted to know who his guards were, but they constantly wore dark masks over their faces and long black coats resembling the old ANBU black ops attire. They never spoke to him until….today…_

_November 26__th__, 11:30 at night, 30 minutes before Lee's 17__th__ birthday…_

A man dressed in complete black outfit with a hood hiding his face entered the cell followed by one of the guards. The man had raised a gloved hand at the guard in a stop motion. "Bring me a chair and my timer from my office, so I can talk to our guest properly."

Lee looked up at the two men. _"This guy must be the leader if he's making demands so easily." _

"Yes master." The guard bowed at his leader and exited the room. Shortly thereafter he returned with a steel chair and a red seat cushion. He reached into his pocket and handed the tiny sand filled timer to his master.

Lee sat there waiting, wondering why this person would want to talk to him. He watched as the leader sat down and crossed one leg over the other and draped an arm over the back of the chair. His cloak was open and partially touched the floor. The timer was set on his knee and he rested a hand on top of it. Finally, he spoke to Lee.

"Welcome honored guest. I'll bet you are wondering why you have been brought here and why my subordinates are treating you so well. It is beca…"

"I know why I am here!! You don't have to play games with me!" Lee shouted, meaning to interrupt the man. "It would have better to have killed me when you had the chance! I don't want anything to do with you or join your…"

"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!! In twenty minutes you will be clouded over and a slave like the others. I look forward to watching your eyes darken at the stroke of midnight and that happy-go-lucky personality change to the heart of a killer's. I left you alive for your talents, nothing more. Let me tell you one thing, if you should die in battle against enemy ranks, I will not think twice about it. You are here to serve me, give your life for me.…."

Lee sat silently after listening to this lunatic's monologue. Truly there was nothing he could do. Even if he tried to escape now, he couldn't get out of the spell's grasp. He may hurt someone dear to him….no….he _will_ hurt someone on his soon to be master's orders. There was no "cure" for this…

Ten minutes remain…..the grains were passing quickly.

The leader shifted in his chair and waited, his face still hidden under his hood. He watched Lee intently and looked at the little timer again. "You should be feeling a burning sensation in about…..oh now."

Lee looked at him in confusion. _Burning? _Instantly, Lee shut his eyes as they were beginning to feel like they were filled with salt water. His tears began to flow steadily, trying to force out the intruding particles that weren't there. "….ahh…nnnnngg…" Lee moaned in pain. "My eyes…burn….stop!" He struggled against his chains trying to free his hands so he could rub away the sensations on his face.

The leader stood from his chair and wandered over to the teenager in pain, forcing his head up with his timer free hand. "By the way, I thought I would show you something spectacular before you lose your sense of self completely. But only if you are able to force open your eyes long enough to see."

Lee pushed himself to look, forcing himself to open at least one eye. If there was dispel or a cure for the clouded elites, then maybe he could get some type of clue to who this leader was and stop him. "_Keep your eye open Lee, push yourself!! I know I can hold out!"_

"Very good…now for your reward," said the leader. He dropped the timer to the floor and continued to support Lee's head. Now with his new free hand he reached up to his hood and pushed it back. Dark black shoulder length hair spilled out and fell around his pale white face.

Lee's eyes were both open now, the size of dinner plates as the expression would say. He was blank for words…only managing… "It can't….it…No, You! We thought you…"

"Were dead? Oh no, I'm very much alive and enjoying my time as the caster of this genjutsu."

"_Why? Of all people…why was it him? A genjutsu? How could he hold chakra long enough and this powerful without becoming depleted? He developed so much in the last three and a half years…I'm no match for him now." _Lee stared at his abductor. His eyes were getting dark and his mind felt cold. _"I'm sorry…to all my friends…for allowing a former comrade…to…"_

"5….4…3…2…1… Happy Birthday…Rock Lee…"

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_The woods were damp; trees leaves had covered his face entirely. He had been on a rampage for days, destroying everything in his path. When he became physically tired, he collapsed and fell out of the tree in which he had been perched. An indent in the ground surrounded his body. Naruto looked completely untouched after his ordeal in the village, his wounds healed over on their own accord, as usual. When awoken, he wondered where he was and began to wander trying to remember what occurred a few days prior. He, himself didn't even know how many days had passed._

_It was still dark…and then it hit him. _

"I was in the village trying to…rescue someone. Hinata!" He looked around at the broken and twisted trees of the forest. "How did I get…" Naruto scratched his head and decided it would be best to go back to the burrow, perhaps the others managed to get back safely. He leapt for the nearest tree and forced chakra to his feet for a speed boost. He was grateful that Sakura had taught him that. Shortly he began to recognize the area and determine that he was twelve miles from the burrow. If he ran nonstop, he should make it back in two hours, but a person could only go so fast.

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_Evening on the following "day"… Kiba and Ino stayed in the hospital wing to keep watch over Hinata. Technically, Kiba was watching both girls while the others stayed in the main living quarters with the remaining children. One last candle stayed lit…_

"How is your stomach feeling Ino?"

"Better than it was last night. I've been getting nauseous lately."

"That's a normal part of pregnancy." Kiba said.

"Yeah I know…but it's my least favorite part right now. Ugh…" Ino made a disgusted face. "I'm close to the middle of my second trimester, I thought it would have gone away by now."

"For some women it does, others….not so much." Kiba rubbed her back gently. "Oh, not to change the subject but Hinata woke up for a few minutes this morning. I was about to turn off a lantern when I saw her glancing at me. I think I may have frightened her again."

"Who wouldn't be afraid of a dog-boy?" Ino joked.

"I'm no dog-boy…" Kiba said defensively. "I'm just hoping that mine and Shino's relationship with her is restored otherwise team eight cannot exist. I refuse to accept anyone else."

"You still refer to yourselves as team eight? Kiba, I never realized you were so sentimental." Ino chuckled and then she realized that laughing was making her stomach bounce slightly. "Oh shit…Kiba I think I need a bucket or something…" Ino held her stomach and hunched over the side of her table.

"Damn girl, you are just having problems every second of the day." Kiba left Ino's bedside and went to get an empty bucket. He found one lying in the corner of the hospital wing and he quickly grabbed it and brought it to her. She gratefully took it from him and held it before her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't mean to gross you out or anything." She held the bucket tightly.

"Hey no biggie, I have an iron stomach and working in a vet's office desensitizes you." Kiba sat on the table next to her. "Maybe the nausea will go away."

"I hope so. My stomach can't take anymore days of crackers and water alone," she said.

"I don't blame you…but it's the only food that Choji found in the Konoha labs. I guess the elites kept it for the women they were planning to keep. Or at least the pregnant ones they actually cared about." Kiba pulled the furs up and around Ino's shoulders.

"Let's not talk about them right now…I'm stressed as it is. My belly and all…"

"Speaking of that, are you beginning to show yet?" Kiba asked her.

"I'm not sure, probably."

"Lay down on the table, I'll check you out." He motioned for her to lie on her back.

"No, that won't be…" she started.

"Just humor me okay?" he motioned again.

"Okay fine." Ino put the bucket down on the floor. "You're lucky my nausea is subsiding."

Ino stretched out on the table and pulled the furs off herself. Kiba stood on the side of her and gently pushed her shirt up to her breasts, not exposing anything he shouldn't. Then he lowered her shorts a little bit, about six inches below her navel. His hands touched her abdomen and she flinched a little. His hands were cold.

"Sorry," he said and he continued his procedure. He touched her lower belly, pressing in with his index and middle fingers. "I can feel a slight swelling."

Ino squirmed a little under his touch; she had been so much more sensitive these past weeks. Her heart started racing. Kiba was more caring than he once was. He had just turned 16 this past July, and his maturity level was that of a twenty-five year old. His fierce eyes have softened and he dropped the attitude a few notches, but not enough to change completely. He was still…himself.

He seemed to be touching her along her panty line now, feeling for the bottom of her uterus. His fingers were warming up against her skin and it sent a small current up her spine.

"_Oh shit…am I actually enjoying this? No…couldn't be, he's just a friend…a friend who is coming closer to touching my…." _Ino shifted a little. She was becoming more flushed by the second, thankfully there was only one candle lit and wasn't enough light to see her embarrassment. It felt so good though, so good that she didn't even notice that her own hands were wandering down her belly and touching his.

"Um…Ino?"

Instantly she pulled her hands away and sat up quickly. "Yes?" her face redder than ever.

"Are you feeling okay? That was not like….you." Kiba's face was red as well. His hands now sat on her legs after she jerked herself up.

"I'm fine…are you?" she asked innocently.

"Uh…yeah," he said.

"I'm sorry….it's just I've been feeling alone lately, with this pregnancy and all. Vulnerable I guess. I know who the father of this baby is, and that scares me somewhat." Ino said. She touched her belly. "If this spell is ever broken and things go back to way they once were, if Kakashi sensei is normal once again…will he be there for this child?"

"I can assume you plan on keeping it then?" Kiba asked her. "It's a personal question, I know, but…I would really like to know for sure."

"I've decided to keep it when it's born. I don't place blame with Kakashi sensei for what happened." Ino felt like she could confide in Kiba, he seemed particularly interested in her tonight.

Kiba seemed relieved. "I'm glad you decided to keep it. I was worried about you rejecting it when it was born."

"Why would I do that?" she asked, mildly irritated and crossing her arms.

"Take it easy, I didn't mean to offend you. I was going to refer to women who are raped and sometimes decide to have an abortion or something. Sorry for being so concerned for your well being." Kiba took a seat next to her with his back facing her. He let out a small sigh.

Ino felt somewhat ridiculous for being harsh. When she thought about it, she was happy to hear it from Kiba that he was very concerned about her. She turned to him and touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just…."

But Ino did not get a chance to finish her sentence. Kiba had turned around and grabbed her hand which was on his shoulder. He watched her reaction intently and when she did nothing but give him a surprised expression, he rushed in to lock lips with her. Her eyes widened and she didn't move. He had caught her off guard. She didn't fight him and he got exactly what he wanted, for her to kiss back. Ino tried to be a little more daring and brought him into a hug while they kissed. Arms were running up and down each other's back.

Minutes passed and their actions were becoming more heated. Ino managed to undo the clasps on his mesh shirt and it dangled down his muscular arms. He had begun working on her clothes as well, exposing her chest and midriff.

In between kisses Ino asked, "Is this….okay? To be doing this….while…pregnant?"

Kiba stopped his advances for a second, "Yeah…women can have sex during pregnancy, the question is _Will they have the sexual drive for it?_ Get my theory?"

"Well yes…"

"Good, then back to business." Kiba's enthusiasm was showing now.

_To be continued…_

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I'm so evil! Leaving the story at a part like this! I'll try to have the next part up as soon as I can. This chapter was a bit longer than the last chapter. Please take the time to leave me some constructive criticism, if you like. See you next time!


	10. Chapter 10

Hello hello! Tis that time of the month again! Um….not what your thinking, I mean new chapter time! I had been doing a bit of research and remembered advice from chapter 3-4 I received. Let's see if I meet up to standards during this particular scene!

Chapter 10

Permanent Sunset: My tender one…

_No words are to be exchanged…_

_His heart…her heart…would speak for themselves…_

_He held her close…she closed her eyes…_

_They merge..._

…_for the first time._

Her finger traced his collar bone slowly, as if they were tasting his flesh. He was warm against her palm. She leaned into his embrace, letting her lips touch the junction between his neck and shoulder.

Kiba let his mesh shirt fall to the ground and let his hands fall to his sides waiting for her next advance. He stared at her as she tended to his upper body, her golden hair draped over back. He had every desire to touch it, run his fingers through it, and let the strands slip through his palms like water. He stayed his hands in exchange, letting her take the lead.

Ino sat up from him, much to his disappointment. "I want this Kiba. But can we move to another chamber? The one down the hall?"

"Across from Shikamaru's?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah, he's not sleeping anywhere near there. Tonight is his night to watch the entrance and the kids with Temari. They'll be busy," she said.

"I bet they will be…" Kiba joked.

Ino chuckled. "So can we? I feel slightly uncomfortable doing this in front of Hinata, even if she is asleep."

"Sure." Kiba picked up the furs from the table and wrapped himself and her together. He then picked her up, her legs straddled his front and clung to him, her arms wrapping around his neck. "Let's go then." Kiba carried her away and outside the hospital wing, heading for the last chamber to the left of Shikamaru's sleeping quarters.

The room was dark, but it was preferable for the two of them. Ino climbed off of him and he placed the pile of furs onto the floor. He spread one out to cover the cool ground and the other one sit on top of it. He had barely gotten the furs ready when he felt a warm body jump him from behind and pin him to the ground. Kiba smirked at Ino's impatience and reached for her wrists as she attempted to yank off his pants. He quickly restrained her and flipped the two of them over so he was on top. One leg on either side of her and her hands bound to her chest by him.

"Patience…" was all he could say.

"But…"

"No more talking either." He stared her down, barely able to make out her facial features in the darkness. "I only want you to feel."

"…"

"Shhh…" Kiba leaned forward to prove his point and he let his lips flutter over hers before securing another kiss from her. He teased and taunted her with his tongue, daring her to part her own lips and accept him. She gave in to his silent commands and the two of them let their mouths wrestle, one trying to dominate the other.

"_I desire her so much…" _He thought to himself.

Ino began encouraging Kiba to ravish her, take her to heightened pleasures that she had never felt before. She let up her kisses and craned her neck to him, letting his tongue wander down her jaw line and trickle gently to her throat.

To Kiba, her neck was like a smooth silk, feminine and petite, fitting for an enchanting kunoichi such as her. Her skin captivated him and he wanted to explore more and more of it. He grazed and nibbled at her throat, enticing himself even further. Kiba released her hands and let his own begin to wander, touching her shoulders and running his fingers along her collar. He was avoiding her breasts on purpose, teasing her again.

Ino wanted so badly for him to touch her slightly hardened nipples, force them to become erect. She was so desperate that she touched her breasts herself, fulfilling the needed sensations.

But Kiba would not have this…Ino pleasuring herself. He grasped her hands once again and held them up over her head in one hand. She resisted against him, practically begging for him to touch her. In her doing so, Kiba finally gave in to his carnal urges and ran his free hand all over her left breast, pinching the nipple and squeezing the surrounding skin gently. Her back arched slightly into his touch and she released a little moan, giving him renewed confidence. He grazed her neck and ran his warm tongue into the hollows of her clavicle…

Ino squeezed her eyes shut, letting her breaths become heavier. Her lower belly began to twist and writhe from pleasure, a spiraling heat trying to escape. Kiba kept moving lower….and lower….his tongue tasting every inch down her breast bone, until he reached the valley between her soft mounds. She threw her head back and whimpered as he traced wet circles on her flesh.

Kiba looked up at her, trying to see the eroticism in her face. Pleased with his work and her reactions, he took her right nipple into his mouth and played with it. He sucked, nipped, and licked at it, forcing several muffled cries and squeaks from her.

"_I can't take this for long! I have to have her soon!"_ Kiba fought with himself, holding his instincts at bay. His pants were already tight and his member throbbed, trying to burst through the obstacle and obtain its goal. It was driving him insane…but…patience was truly a virtue. He had to be careful with her; she was fragile, not only physically but emotionally from her past ordeals.

Her skin was so sweet and bitter at the same time, an exotic flavor which is acquired. He licked around her breasts, exciting her further. Becoming more daring, he released her hands and began trailing his tongue down her midriff, dipping into her belly button and stopping when he hit fabric. Her shorts were still on. He made quick work of them and pulled them down her legs, tossing them aside.

Ino gasped. She was trying to cover her nether area from him by squeezing her legs together and shielding with her hands. Why she was doing this was unknown. Kiba has already seen her down there, but that was for medical reasons. Now it was different…

Kiba pushed her hands to her sides. "I just can't let these hands of yours go, can I?" he joked. His voice was velvety and easy on her ears, his rough hands held her tightly. With one knee he separated her clenching legs, and laid himself between them. His head was very close to her core. She could feel his warm breath on her folds.

It was useless, her arms were bound to her sides and she lay wide open to him. She whined a little and struggled against him slightly…

Kiba loved her in this position, he dominated her. She was tense and he could hear the lust in her gasps and whimpers. He wanted to make her scream out his name, hear her cries in the darkness. "Heh," he laughed.

" …" Ino was confused. She looked down at him but couldn't see his face to tell if he was smirking. " Kiba? Wha…ahhh!"

It was almost unbearable. She threw her head back again and forced her arms loose from his grasp and grabbed the furs into her fists, squeezing them tightly as Kiba's ministrations sent her into ecstasy. She couldn't believe it, when she had least expected it, Kiba practically nose dived into her nether region.

He licked at her and forced his tongue inside, letting her juices seep into his mouth. He massaged her inner thighs, taunting her and let his left hand wander to her sensitive nub, rubbing and tweaking it. His tongue danced inside of her, making her walls twist and contort.

Having Kiba enticing her insides and playing with her clitoris was driving her crazy, she was squirming against him now, trying to gesture him into stopping and just take her immediately. The heat was beginning to build up in her belly and it streamed up her spine.

Continuing with his mouth on her, Kiba felt the need to remove his pants as they were too tight around him. His rolled onto his side, never taking his mouth off her and undid his fastenings. He kicked off his pants quickly and reached for his member, beginning to massage it. "_I can't hold back much longer…" _

"Please! Kiba!" Ino cried. "If you keep this up, I'm gonna lose it…." She rubbed her breasts as she bucked lightly at his face.

After another few moments of teasing, Kiba felt it necessary to take her before she peaks. So he relieved her of his mouth and sat up on his knees. He pulled her legs up to him, one on each side and rubbed his member against her lower belly before placing it along her entrance. Kiba held onto her legs and slowly began to enter.

She could feel him…it filled her up…and she waited for him…

Kiba leaned over her, letting his hands rest on the furs by her head. She gripped her hands onto his shoulders, letting her nails rake along his back and up his neck. He began thrusting into her, feeling her tighten with every push. He listened to her moan and even let a few escape from himself. It felt too good.

Ino's nails dug into his shoulders, urging him to go faster.

Kiba quickened his pace as he began to feel his own orgasm begin to build. Her inner walls felt divine, soft and warm to his penis. Yet it gripped onto him like a vice when he thrust inside.

She joined him in his movements and matched his perfectly, adding to their pleasure. Her release was so close it was painful. Ino begged him to go faster.

He didn't need telling twice…

Soon enough the two of them could feel themselves begin to orgasm. Kiba didn't stop or slow for even a second. His thrusts were becoming deeper and longer, using most of his strength to do so. Hearts were racing…

Her breaths were extremely heavy…his were catching up as well.

The time had come where Ino couldn't hold back any longer…she wailed out loud causing an echo in the room. Her orgasm released more fluid from her inner walls and coated his member. She cried his name several times.

Seconds later, Kiba bared his teeth, made a loud grunting sound and let his orgasm take hold of him. Semen spilled into her, mixing with her fluids. The wet warmth swirled inside her uterus.

Their orgasms were dissipating...

Kiba collapsed on top of Ino, capturing her lips desperately for a heart-felt kiss.

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_The tree branches whipped him in the face as he ran. Hopping from tree to tree, he was so close to home…_

_The sky settled above him, not a single sound of thunder…_

_The clearing was just ahead and he could barely make out the lines of the hills and mountainside. He ran faster, almost tripping on a tree branch, and then catching himself. He couldn't lose time, he had to get back to the burrow and find out about Hinata. _

There was the clearing and Naruto could barely make out the side of the mountain where the burrow is hidden. His feet carried him across the field, passed the lake and to its entrance. Quickly he forced the entrance boulder aside and let himself in, replacing the heavy rock back. He rushed down the hall and to the main room where all the children were sleeping. He glanced around the room looking for one of his friends; he saw Sakura and Temari asleep next to each other. They were propped up against a wall with a child or two laying their heads on their laps.

Quietly, Naruto stepped over some of the kids to reach Sakura. He kneeled next to her and touched her shoulder. "Sakura……Sakura." He whispered into her ear.

"Mmmph…huh?" Sakura looked up to see who had awoken her, but it was too dark in the room. She gently moved the little girl she had in her lap and placed her on the furs nearby. "Shino? Is that you?" Sakura rubbed her eyes and tried to focus them.

"No, it's me." Naruto said.

"Naruto? Oh shit! You're okay!" Sakura said excitedly. She reached for Naruto, ready to hug him.

"Shhh…I don't want the kids to wake up. Let's go into the hallway." Naruto grasp Sakura's hand and led her out of the main chamber, tip toeing past the kids. They were out of earshot from the main chamber.

"Oh Naruto, I'm glad you came back safely!" Sakura embraced her teammate and squeezed him in a tight hug.

"I'm glad to see you too, Sakura. But I need to know…did the others come back safely? With Hinata?"

Sakura let him go and answered him sadly. "Yes, Hinata was returned. But she is in pretty poor condition right now. She's in the hospital wing recovering. Naruto, what took you so long to come back? It's been…maybe around a week or so. And where is Lee?"

A wave of fear ran down Naruto's spine. "Lee didn't come back yet?!"

"Well no…"

"No…oh shit… what is today?"

"Uh..it's sometime in November I think. I'm losing track of dates since we have no calendars." Sakura scratched her head. "I'm pretty sure it's the end of the month."

Naruto gasped. "Wasn't Lee's birthday this month?"

"…" Sakura didn't know what to say. She knew Lee's birthday was close by but she didn't think it was already passed. "Naruto, doesn't Lee turn seventeen this year?!?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Hey….keep it down..."

Naruto and Sakura looked down the hall to see Gaara coming their way from his sleeping quarters.

"You are both too loud, you'll awaken the others."

"Lee didn't come back with me." Naruto said.

Gaara stared at him. "I'm aware; Lee is beyond our reach now. No need to worry though. The enemy can't kill him because he is a useful source of information to them. But I suggest we do not go after him until we are _all_ strong enough to stop their leader. We will wait until Shikamaru and the others awaken to plan our course of action."

Naruto was mildly irritated from not being able to do anything tonight. "Fine. I'm going to go see Hinata."

"Naruto, its better that you don't right now." Sakura said. She reached for his shoulder to stop him.

"Why?"

Sakura sighed. "I'll tell you the whole story. Let's go to an empty chamber and we'll talk. There's a lot to catch up on." She turned from Naruto and headed for the next empty room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Very good…with Rock Lee joining our ranks, we now know where the enemy is located. Send him and Neji to the mountains. Have them report back when they find out how many are left."

"Very well my lord."

"You may leave, Kakashi."

"Yes." Kakashi bowed to his master and left the office.

Lord Sasuke removed his dark cloak and placed it on the desk. He stood from his chair and wandered to the window pane. He stared at the destroyed village.

"_It's only a matter of time before they come to me, until then…" _Sasuke laughed and revealed his mangekyo to the night sky.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued…

**Intermission**: I'm so grateful! I finally made it to the middle of the story! Thanks to all my readers for making this possible for me!

Please leave me constructive criticism about this chapter. I compared this particular one myself to chapter 3-4 and I think this is a much better erotic scene than my first one.  Let me know what you think, be gentle with me! Lol!

Also, I'm having a minor surgery on my wisdom teeth this weekend, so I might not begin the next chapter right away, unless the pain in my mouth is minor. Thanks!!!! Happy reading!


	11. Chapter 11

Wow

Wow! Halfway done already! All the wonderful reviews and critiques I've gotten have been spectacular thus far! I'm happy to receive positive feedback and not a single "flame" as most would put it. I have reviewed some things in the comments and I'm going to put my heart into improving my chapters and pushing forward the storyline. Also I apologize for the long wait- due to financial difficulties and medical issues, I wasn't able to update as much as I would have liked. So it's a job hunting I will go!! 

Behold! Part 2!

Chapter 11

Permanent Sunset: Time grows short…

_A month and a half has passed…the new year had begun…our time is now…_

_She…was seven months pregnant…a result of being trapped since mid July…_

_He cared for her…took the duty of guarding and loving her…the man with the red tattoos on his face…_

_The others…gave their lives to protect…all…_

_--_

_January has begun…the elites roamed and destroyed miles of beautiful forestry, leaving scorch marks in its place. Lord Sasuke's elite guard located the burrow...under Lee's direction. Betrayal…but not by choice. They waited for an opportunity to strike, waiting for the blood red sunrise that could never be. _

_Soon…_

_--_

_Children had become even sicker; several were lost in the cold months. Snow touched the ground during December, freezing over the nearby lake. Water had become so cold, when the little ones drank, their bellies froze…and pneumonia set in despite the medications which were supposed to save them. A group of over 150 children had been drastically cut down to 22, the youngest being 8 years of age. Several tears were shed, as the children were buried…_

"I don't think I can live like this anymore…." Sakura buried her face in her hands and slinked down into the corner of the hospital chamber. "I feel so responsible….for all of this…" She cried hard. Her pink hair draped over her hands as she fell forward, hiding her from the others view. Her locks had grown so long these past few months, they hid her face completely.

Naruto crouched down next to her and put on a hand on her shoulder, gently massaging it. He just didn't know what to say, which was good. Sometimes kind words can make a situation seem worse. His hand moved down her back, trying its best to comfort her.

Behind Naruto stood the others…Gaara, Temari, Shikamaru, Tenten, Choji, Shino, and Ino all in a row, in complete silence until Shikamaru broke the silence.

"Sakura, you need to rest, you have been awake for three days straight," he said. Shikamaru raised a hand to his temple and raked his fingers through his hair, trying to take in the situation. "It's not your fault, Hinata will come around eventually…and the children who died were extremely ill, it couldn't be helped."

"But Hinata wouldn't be in this state if I had properly cared for her to begin with!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs.

"We lack medicine, there's nothing you could have done to prevent it." Kiba added. He joined Naruto on the floor next to her. "Anyways, I'm hurting too. We all are."

Sakura sighed and nodded her head. She let her hands drop to her lap and she looked up at Naruto. Her eyes were puffy and red, tear streaks ran down her face. The past month she tried desperately to rehabilitate Hinata, but poor Hinata felt she couldn't trust anyone, not even Sakura. The emotionally scarred girl had become terrified of everyone and she hid from the others in the empty chamber by Shikamaru's sleep quarters.

Kiba and Shino both visited her on several occasions to try and gain her trust but she would tremble before them and back herself into a corner, curling up in a pile of furs. She wouldn't talk. Kiba would leave food for her in the chamber entranceway and she would eat it only if she was alone.

"It's going to be a while for her and we can't blame her for it." Kiba said. "Now…off to sleep with you, I've already made up a table here in the hospital wing for you. I don't want you in the room with the kids, it'll depress you again."

"Fine." Sakura wiped her eyes with her collar and let Naruto help her up.

As Sakura was guided to the table, the others left the wing. They divided into sleeping chambers for the night, save for Temari, Tenten, and Shino who would sleep in the main chamber to guard the remaining kids. Tonight was Choji's turn to guard the entrance.

Shikamaru and Kiba followed Gaara to his quarters, all three needed to decide the fate of the group.

"….Okay, we're running out of time. We know what's coming during this month."

Gaara nodded. "I'm aware. Two weeks remain until I turn seventeen."

"We have to take down the enemy. We have no choice now, if we lose you to the clouded then the rest of us don't stand a chance." Kiba cringed. "Sand..."

Shikamaru chimed in, "Not only that, Shino follows shortly after. We're going to lose two in one month and the rest of us can't defend with only seven. I suggest that we take the offensive this time and kill their leader. I have my suspicions that the permanent sunset is a genjutsu, a really powerful one."

"This will be our only opportunity to gain control of Konoha and rebuild." Kiba said. "The sooner we do this, the better off we will be. We should decide who's going to fight."

Gaara moved close to his bed of furs and placed his gourd on the floor next to it. He removed his overcoat and placed it on the bed. "We have to leave a strong shinobi behind, to look after the group. I definitely will be going to fight."

"I will be going also." Kiba said.

"No Kiba. It will be best if you stay behind. You have Akamaru to help you and we need your skills to protect the kids." Shikamaru said. "In your place, we'll take Sakura as a healer and she packs a pretty good punch when she concentrates."

Kiba was shocked at Shikamaru's analysis and shouted at him, "It's plain stupidity to take the women with us! They will be recaptured!"

Shikamaru rushed into Kiba's face and raised a fist at him, "We have to! Sakura will have to come; we need a healer with us. You are needed here! You and Akamaru are defense and can provide medical treatment to the kids, which is what we need most right now! We'll leave Tenten with you, since she is a long range fighter and can be offensive in the off chance of an attack on the burrow."

"Fine, I'll stay. But you need to take Tenten with you. There's no way I'm gonna let Ino go with you guys, she's the last person I would send into battle! And get the hell out of my face!"

"Ya' think?!" Shikamaru yelled. "I wouldn't dream of forcing an expectant woman into combat" He lowered his fist and backed off. "This is a waste of time…we'll discuss it in the morning."

"No. We'll discuss it now!" Gaara shouted. "I'll make the decision, since the two of you can't control your tempers. We leave tomorrow night, with all but Ino, Kiba, and Akamaru. I will lead with defense, and Shikamaru you will take offense. Plan your strategy tomorrow morning; I want to have a battle plan ready before we leave. Now go to your sleep chambers, I am exhausted from all the shouting." With that, Gaara flipped over on his furs and closed his eyes.

Stunned, Kiba and Shikamaru glanced at each other and quickly left the room.

--

_He couldn't help it. He had to try and reach Hinata somehow. Would she accept him? Naruto twisted and turned on his bed of fur. He knew about Hinata's little crush on him, but he never payed much attention to it. His training was all that mattered to him before the permanent sunset, before the death of his master, Jiraya. _

Naruto sat up and listened to the gentle breeze flowing through the caverns. It was so cold these past few nights. He touched his forehead and rubbed it gently. "I hope Hinata is warm enough. I should bring her another fur." He touched the fur beneath him, still warm from his body heat and slipped it out from beneath him. Quickly and quietly he got up and exited the chamber. The cavern was dark, he run his hand against the wall as a guide, closing in on the chamber next to Shikamaru's. Hinata should still be in there, she wouldn't leave the room for anything. Naruto peeked inside and couldn't see anything. He gently called out her name. "Hinata?"

No answer.

"Hinata?" He could sense her presence in the room and could hear her scuffling to a back corner, lightly whimpering. "Please don't be afraid of me Hinata, its me, Naruto."

There was still no response but tiny cries and whimpers.

"I've brought you another fur. One of my own, its still pretty warm and I was hoping…you would like to have it to stay warm." Naruto said as softly as he could.

Suddenly…

"Na..Nar..uto"

Was that Hinata speaking? It was so light and tender, a scared voice, one that could only sound like a frightened child. Naruto stepped into the room a little further, towards the corner where the tiny voice came from. He heard her gasp and he slowed his steps, trying his best not to scare her even more.

"You can take this blanket from me. I don't want to scare you again. You can come to me for it instead, so I don't have to come to you. I want…you to trust me again." Naruto said.

Hinata didn't leave her corner. She was staring at him through the darkness, reluctant to get up and take it herself.

"Well…since you don't seem to be moving Hinata, I want to bring this to you. I'm worried about you." Naruto gently stepped towards her again; he heard no signs of flinching. He reached the corner she was in and crouched down. His hand gently reached out into the darkness and he touched her knee. She jumped a little and his hand withdrew itself. He moved the fur to the front of himself and let it drape over her leg. "See? I just want to put this fur around you."

Hinata was letting him close and even let him drape the fur around her shoulders. He was ready to leave the chamber. So he slowly stood up and turned for the door but something touched his leg and held onto his pant. His hand slipped down to his leg to feel a little hand grabbing onto his pants.

Hinata didn't say anything.

Naruto ran his fingers over hers and she let him hold her hand. Naruto once again crouched down and now held her hand with both of his. She was shaking and unsure, but she didn't flinch. Her other hand touched the top of Naruto's.

Naruto could feel the tears welling up into his eyes. His dear friend was beginning to accept him once again. He removed one of his hands from hers and reached for her cheek, gently stroking it and he could feel wetness on her face. She had also been crying.

The night continued on….

--

"Kiba!! Kiba!! Come quickly!" Sakura shouted into the hospital wing.

"What?! Can't you see I'm busy? I just woke up and I have to tend to Ino." Kiba was leaning over Ino's exposed belly and he seemed to be touching for movement.

"This is something you have to see!" Sakura said happily.

"Alright already, I'm coming." Kiba covered Ino with a fur and followed Sakura down the cavern hall towards Shikamaru's chamber.

Sakura stopped and peeked into Hinata's sleep chamber. She turned and whispered to Kiba, "keep quiet, don't want to wake anyone."

Kiba sighed, "Fine…now let me see."

Sakura stepped out of the way to let Kiba look. There in the corner of the room was Hinata and Naruto, curled up against the wall, wrapped together in a big black fur comforter. It was Naruto's by the looks of it. Hinata's head was propped against Naruto's chest and her hand was grasping onto his shirt. Both were asleep.

Sakura smiled. "Isn't it great, I think Hinata may be willing to trust in us again."

Kiba was astonished in the progress that Hinata had made last night. No words came to him and he couldn't help but smile. "Naruto always had a way of inspiring people. He is exactly what Hinata needs."

Sakura nodded. "As long as I knew him, Naruto always what to say or what actions needed to be taken to get things done. We should tell Shino about this."

"I'll do it. As Hinata's friend and teammate, I should be the one." Kiba said.

"Good. I'm going to tell the others, maybe we can rehabilitate Hinata enough to come out and interact with all of us." Sakura said. She left Kiba's side and sped off to the main chamber to spread the good news.

Kiba stared at the two of them. He watched as Naruto snored lightly and somewhat woke himself up in doing so.

Naruto's nose twitched and he quickly brought a hand up to scratch it. His eyes blinked themselves open and he saw Kiba in the doorway. A blush spread across his cheeks and he smiled at Kiba, who returned the gesture. It was a respectable gesture between the two and Kiba quietly left the doorway, headed back for the hospital wing.

_The burrow remained quiet all morning. Everyone had heard the good news and waited patiently for Naruto to emerge, hopefully with Hinata at his side._


	12. Chapter 12

What a pick me up

What a pick me up! I'm happy to see some of my reviewers have not forgotten about me! I'm glad!

Chapter 12

Permanent Sunset: Teammate Face-off

_They are coming…_

_Scratching and tumbling through the branches of the forest, elite ninja felt the time to strike. They're eyes were like dark masses from the deepest corners of the universe. A swirling tempest of evil behind those glassy yet clouded pools. Lord Sasuke will have the unique abilities the hidden women possess and the males will follow in his elite's footsteps. _

_Six miles to the burrow…_

_Silently, not to disturb the sleeping trees…_

_He led them, Rock Lee, under his terrible spell. Voices ate away at the back of his mind, telling him to control his limbs, control his mind, and… to control his heart. He only saw what he could not change, for the genjutsu was too powerful for him to break. His unwilling conscience, forced towards destruction. His deepest desires could only think of one thing and how he would never be able to get it back. His dearly beloved…_

_Not a sound… 3 miles to go…_

_Behind Lee, Neji took his position as middle man. His mission objection: To capture the remaining women and kill all the children with them. No thought crossed his inner desires about the black deed he would carry out. It had been far too long since he lost his true self._

_Kakashi Hatake brought up the tail end of the group. His extreme skill would guarantee the success of this mission. The blackness behind his eyes hid the greatness of his Sharingan, a gift given to him by former teammate Obito; a name Kakashi had forgotten since the destruction of Konoha. _

_Deathly close…1/2 mile left…_

_--_

"They will be closing in on them soon, my Lord."

"I see." Lord Sasuke said plainly. "My old teammates are no match for our old sensei. I highly doubt the rest will compare to the high level skills of Neji and Rock Lee." He spoke with great patience and confidence, yet it was terrifying and his words were icy.

"Will this guarantee the outcasts arrival?"

"Yes Guy. After Neji disposes of the little ones and Kakashi and Lee annihilate their little hideout, they will have no choice but to come back to Konoha and attempted a siege upon us. They cannot survive for long without food or shelter. I know they will come back, based on their history of coming here for supplies and stealing our hostages. Be ready for them. In Kakashi's absence I appoint you to lead the remaining elites. I have decided to move to the old examination arena in the northern part of Konoha. It still stands with very little damage. I will be moving there when Kakashi and his team return. When that time arrives, our elites will be stationed around the arena."

"Yes my Lord." Guy bowed to Sasuke. "I will take my leave now."

Sasuke turned his back to Guy as he left the Hokage's office. He removed his long black cloak and laid it on the dust covered table by the sill. He removed his black shirt and placed it on top of the cloak. Reaching a hand to his neck he felt the smooth skin of his left shoulder, tattooed upon it was the curse mark. It never faded. His own power had surpassed the influence of his old master Orochimaru. He felt next to no pain from it, not like when he was 12 years old upon receiving it. He let his hand linger down to his chest. He skin was littered with scars and marks from combat, a complete story of sadness and harsh times. One scar in particular skittered across his collar bone, a memory of his final confrontation with the last hokage of Konoha; the late Tsunade. He remembered the last few seconds of their battle…

_Tsunade had cornered Sasuke within the city limits with her intense strength, dodging every blow thrown at her. Her skill with medical jutsu played a major role and she was prepared to use a technique which was only used in surgery. It would cut Sasuke to ribbons, a fatal move on her part. As strong as Lady Tsunade was, her speed could not match that of Sasuke's. Age was on her side and she was lacking a full chakra arsenal. The battle had taken hours…she was weary. Sasuke used this opportunity to reveal his Mangenkyo sharingan and force her into complete submission before she could build her chakra to strike him. The sights he had shown her from the deepest darkest parts of her subconscious, forced her to her knees. She saw the death of her little brother, the battle between her lover and enemy ninja before his untimely death. Sasuke delve into her past and gave her insight on the future of her city, how the permanent sunset would come. She screamed and cried out for it to stop…but Sasuke would not let up. He drained her completely of chakra, the mangenkyo too powerful to overcome. Many have succumbed to the madness of this jutsu, unable to recover. Tsunade would be no different. Now that she lacked a defense, Sasuke would make his move while she was trapped inside the black hole of his jutsu. His kunai in hand, he made his move…lacerating the vital artery of Tsunade's body. The blood drained from her throat, soaking her robes and dripping to the ground. Her body tumbled over. The people witnessing the battle had fled the city, fearing for their lives. Sasuke's aura began to spread, an overcast of clouds in the sky. His final move…_

_The jutsu has begun… they tried to protect their people. Their eyes began to darken, elites began to form. Little by little, they searched every home, shop, and school to kill all who stood in their path. _

_--_

"Naruto, has she said anything to you?"

"Not a word."

Kiba sighed. "I was hoping she would try to talk to us today, before you and the others leave tonight. I highly doubt Hinata will come out if you're not here."

Akamaru barked, it echoed lightly in the cavern hallway.

"Its okay boy, she's coming around, just really slowly." Kiba patted his dog's head.

Naruto got up from the rock which he sat upon, "I'll try to get her to talk this morning, maybe I can coax her out to join us for a meal. Hinata needs to put on some weight, she is so thin."

"Yeah, worth a shot," Kiba said. "Okay, I need to go back to the hospital wing. Why don't you bring her down there, it's very quiet. She'll be less likely to panic."

"Uh yeah, will do."

Naruto left Kiba's company for the chamber down the hall. He disappeared into the room.

Kiba and Akamaru followed suit and headed for the hospital wing where Ino had been waiting. She asked Kiba not to leave her alone for too long these days. She was practically begging him to rub her lower back on a daily basis now.

"Hey Ino."

"Hi Kiba," Ino said weakly.

"You feel any better?" he asked.

"Ugh…a little. I'm so glad the nausea stopped last month. This would have been so much worse if it didn't." She scrunched the furs up over her chin, as if hiding herself from him. "I want this to be over soon."

"I know you do. I want it to be too." Kiba said. He sat down on the rock stool next to her table. "I was actually hoping to talk with you about something…err…yeah." He scratched the back of his head.

Ino looked up at him. "What is it?"

"Uh…well..." Kiba's eyes rolled to the left, and glanced at her again. It was difficult for him to say things like this.

Akamaru barked, partially startling Kiba.

"Cut it out Akamaru! I'm getting to the point!"

Ino's curiosity enticed her and she propped herself up onto one elbow. "Yes?" She tried to coax him.

"I was wondering what you were planning to do… when the baby is born and things return to normal. We might be able to go back the village someday and rebuild it."

"Oh..." Slightly disappointed she continued, "I know we discussed my keeping the baby. Well, if we should return to the village sometime, I want to raise my baby in a safe and normal environment. He or she will be schooled in the academy to become a ninja as well."

"Will you be raising the child alone?"

"I…"

Kiba looked into her eyes waiting for her answer.

"I…well… we both know the father is Kakashi sensei. If things go back to normal, I would like the father of my baby to spend time with him or her. It would only be the right thing to do." She said.

"What about you?" Kiba asked.

"Me? "

"Yeah, do you want Kakashi to accept you…into his home?"

"Like a wife?!" Ino's eyes widened.

"Erm…well yes. I'm not very good asking this kind of thing." Kiba's face was red.

Ino's heart nearly leapt into her throat. She wanted to slap Kiba so hard that his mouth would fall off, but when she saw the honesty in his eyes, her face had softened. She realized that there was a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Kiba…no matter what happened in my past with Kakashi sensei; I can't automatically give my life or love to him. I don't have feelings for him, but I also don't hate him for what he did. That is why I want him to be in my baby's life. A normal childhood is every kid's dream, with both parents." Ino shifted her position to lie down again.

Kiba sat in contemplation.

"Kiba?" Ino touched his shoulder with a free hand. "Are you okay?"

"…y..yeah."

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

Kiba decided how he was going to tell her. "When you say you don't want to be with Kakashi, honestly, it makes me feel….relieved."

"Really…why's that?"

"Because…I was kinda…hoping you would…" he paused.

"Yeah…?"

"Well I was really hoping…you would…come and live with me after the entire mess is over and done with…and…" Kiba was beginning to stutter a little.

Ino felt a wave of intense warmth wash over her. Was he asking…?!

"…what I mean to say is…" Kiba grasped one of Ino's hands and gulped.

Ino's eyes welled up.

"I was hoping you would do me the honor of…becoming my… wife and letting me into…your child's life…" Kiba was now holding his breath, panic surged into his mind.

Ino let forth the great waterfall of tears. They dripped onto the table. "Kiba…I…would love that…so very much," and she began to sob.

Kiba's anxiety had subsided and he let extreme happiness take over. He leaned over face and let his lips touch hers. He wiped away her tears gently with his hand.

The room filled with warmth and fondness.

--

_Four hours have passed…early afternoon. They are coming… _

_The outside grew colder. January seemed to be the coldest month. _

_All the young children and all the shinobi of the burrow were told to sleep, for they would need their rest. The group would be leaving soon, a final battle will ensue in the night._

_Kiba and Ino had fallen asleep together; he was still propped up next to her table. They had cried together and the tears they shared put them to sleep. Hands intertwined, they dreamed of better times and their future together._

_The rest of the burrow remained quiet, almost eerily…_

Kiba shook himself awake, feeling like he was being watched. He peeked at the hospital wing's open doorway and saw nothing. The candle light flickered and the outside hall was empty, but he felt a sort of odd presence. He heard Akamaru shift and whine lightly.

"Shhh…" Quickly silencing Akamaru.

Ino stirred a little. yawn "What's wrong?"

Kiba put a hand over her mouth quickly.

"mmm?" Ino mumbled.

"Don't move or say anything." Kiba whispered. "I feel a strange presence in the burrow."

Panic flared in Ino. She pulled Kiba's hand away from her mouth and looked over to the doorway. She lowered her voice to a whisper as well. "What is it?"

Kiba sniffed the air. His nose being so sensitive, he could tell if it were a friend or foe. Akamaru began to sniff too, he whined lightly when he caught a scent.

"I smell it too."

"Who is it?" Ino asked quietly.

"Someone who _**used **_to be a friend…" Kiba said.

Akamaru began to growl, knowing there was an intruder and they were now moving into the burrow.

Ino rolled off the table and onto the floor, pulling a fur with her. She did her best to curl into a ball at Kiba's feet. Her belly prevented her doing so. "Wasn't anyone on guard at the doorway?!" She said nervously. She hadn't fought in so long and she couldn't. Kiba would have to protect her. She felt completely helpless in her state.

"Akamaru." Kiba whispered to his dog. "I need you to sneak out the hallway and down to Shikamaru's chamber. He's probably sleeping again. Wake him; he'll know what to do."

The dog nodded and hurried himself out into the hallway and disappeared from Kiba's view.

"Be careful Akamaru…" Kiba whispered to the darkness. He squatted to the floor and wrapped an arm around his fiancé. He wasn't about to leave her alone to warn the others.

Kiba peeked around the corner of the table and looked out towards the hall, leading up toward the entrance. He saw a form standing down the hallway. It was rather tall; much taller than anyone who lived in the burrow.

Kiba sat back and hugged Ino closer to his body. "I can see a form in the cavern hall."

"…" Ino muttered something inaudible.

Kiba pulled a kunai from inside his coat and raised it to the height of his chest, pointed end facing outwards. He was ready to strike anything that came in the hospital wing. He sniffed the air again. The being was coming closer, he could smell the scent of the intruder and it was getting stronger as it came closer. Kiba readied himself to strike. He released his grip on Ino and prepared to fight.

The intruder was now inside the hospital wing and stood on the other side of the table which was Ino's. Kiba took a deep breath and with all of his strength, he leapt up onto the table on all fours and jabbed the intruder in the face with his kunai knife. The figure grasped onto Kiba's coat and tried to throw him off but to no avail and then suddenly Kiba found himself on the floor. The figure was missing.

"A clone?" Kiba asked out loud.

"What?" Ino peeked out from around the table and saw Kiba sprawled on the floor.

"It was a clone; I barely got a glance of it." Kiba said. "We have to get out of here. For a clone to be able to get by so many of us there must be an incredibly skilled enemy outside. We have to tell the others immediately and I want you in the safest place possible!"

Kiba heard barking in the hallway and Akamaru appeared in the doorway once again with Shikamaru in tow.

"Shikamaru! I just took out a clone, the burrow is under attack!" Kiba shouted.

"Shit! What a drag…!! Fine…you and Ino hurry to the main chamber and wake everyone up, I'll get Gaara and we'll come up with a plan of attack."

--

"Gaara, we don't have a choice now, we have to defend." Shikamaru said as he and Gaara rushed to the main chamber where everyone in the burrow had gathered.

Kiba had already begun to push the remaining 22 children into the corner of the room, trying to calm them all down.

Gaara and Shikamaru assessed the situation and made their plan known to the group.

Shikamaru started, "First things first, we don't have long until the enemy decides to break in the burrow. Here is what's gonna happen. We have decided to put forth most of our offensive fighters to face the enemy outside; we don't know how many of them there are or how powerful they may be. We need one person to volunteer to stay in the main chamber to watch the kids.

"I will." Tenten said and quickly raised her hand.

Shikamaru nodded. "Alright, good. The rest of us will be going outside to confront the enemy. Long range fighters will be the first to attack and at the front of the burrow with Gaara. Shorter range fighters will follow me; we will attempt to flank the enemy. No lanterns; rely on your other senses. Same goes for you Tenten; blow out all candles and keep those kids quiet. Ino you stay inside too, with Hinata and… where is Hinata?"

Naruto jumped to his feet. "I couldn't get her to come out of the back chamber. She won't budge."

Shikamaru sighed. "This is lame…alright, Ino why don't you try to get her to come out of there and into this room. We'll try to keep the burrow as safe as possible, but still, try to hurry."

--

_The large rock covering the burrow entrance was slowly pushed to the side, a small object floated out. It was a tiny mound of sand the size of a golf ball. It seemed to be glancing around the outside into the darkness…_

"Do you see anything Gaara?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, it's likely they are hiding in the distance by the woods."

"Okay… Naruto, Choji, Kiba, lets go, "Shikamaru said and he quickly squeezed through the entrance to the outside followed by the two boys. The four of them sprinted around the back of the burrow and raced off into the woods, making their move to locate the enemy and force them out of hiding. Then Gaara and his team would be waiting at the large field out front of the burrow ready for the counter attack.

Gaara signaled to Temari and Shino to follow him outside to their positions, all of them crouching low to the ground. Gaara released sand from his gourd and laid it against the earth to camouflage it. Shino summoned his insects and they streamed down his arms waiting for their master's commands. Temari kept her oversized fan by her side ready to throw a wind scythe at a moment's notice.

Gaara stared out into the distance. He could barely see anything, so he sent his "third eye" out to investigate the open field. The little ball of sand flew out about a tenth of a mile and it stopped when it saw two figures standing in the foggy landscape.

"They are coming. I can see them, there are two of them." Gaara said.

"Can you see who they are?" Temari asked.

Gaara sent the third eye in a little further and upon further inspection he recognized one of the two figures very well. Gaara was taken back when he realized one of the enemies was the green clad ninja, Rock Lee.

"Its two leaf ninja, one I don't recognize too well. The other is…Rock Lee."

Temari gasped. Shino said nothing.

"One way or the other, we have to stop them." Temari said. She raised her fan, ready for the attack.

The three of them could hear footsteps heading towards them. The thin layer of snow on the ground did nothing to cover the sound. The fog was thick, two shadows approached through the mist and cold. Their features were now visible, instantly the group recognized Rock Lee and saw the other figure, whom Shino knew to be Kakashi Hatake.

"We have a problem." Shino said to the others. "We are no match for this jounin's sharingan."

"Shut up!" Temari yelled. "Why the hell would you give up so easily?!"

"I'm not saying we should." Shino retorted. "The best we can do is stall until the others make their move."

--

_From inside the burrow, Tenten was looking after the kids and Ino finally rushed down the hallway and into the chamber with Hinata inside. _

Ino peered into the room and located Hinata curled up on the floor, wrapped in several furs. She was shaking really badly.

"Hinata… Hinata…please, we have to move you into the main chamber with the others. You can't be by yourself right now."

Hinata shook her head and covered her face with a fur, refusing to move.

"Please Hinata!" Ino cried. She hurried to Hinata's side and shook the furs off her face. "Look at me! The burrow is in danger! We have to group together and wait for the others to come back. Tenten is waiting for us. You have to come with me!"

Hinata would not move…

Tenten waited calmly. She knew it was going to be a chore for Ino to get Hinata to come out, but she knew she could defend the children by herself. She had her weapon scrolls with her and her aim was perfect. There was no way for an intruder to come through the main chamber without getting a kunai to the forehead.

A couple of the kids were crying despite Tenten's orders to remain quiet. They were getting too loud and she would not be able to hear if someone was coming inside or not.

"Quiet, all of you!" she demanded.

But they cried harder and pleaded with her not to yell at them.

"…"

No matter how many times she made demands, they wouldn't cooperate. Tenten cursed the day that she should have children. She turned around to look at them and gave them an evil glare. This shut most of them up.

"Having issues with children are we?" a voice from behind Tenten said.

A chill ran up Tenten's spine. She recognized that voice and it wasn't Ino's. It was masculine and easy on the ears. She was too afraid to turn around for fear of whom she thought it to be. The children were crying again, afraid of the intruder and they cried for Tenten's protection.

"What…do you want… with us?" Tenten asked without turning around. "How did you get in here?"

"Your friends outside are not as vigilant as they think," said the male voice. "Getting in here was quite simple; there is also only one exit. Your friends will never even think that a third person had come. They are busy fighting the two elites outside."

It was too frightening; Tenten had to confirm the intruder's identity. Quickly she relit one of the candles in the chamber and placed it on the nearby rock stool. She took one step, left foot over right… and she shared eye contact with a man…a man she once admired as her teammate. It was Neji Hyuga…eyes grayed over with shadow.

"No…no!!" Tenten cried. "Neji!"

"You know my name?" he asked.

"Of course I do! I'm your teammate!! Don't you remember?!" she screamed.

Neji raised his hand to his chin and scratched lightly, deep in thought.

"No, I have no knowledge of ever knowing you." He said.

Tenten's heart was crushed. "The Neji I know would never do this! Please try to remember me!"

Neji laughed. "You're pathetic, begging me like one of these worthless children you protect. I believe you're far too weak to be of use to my Lord." He raised his pointer and middle finger to the tip of his nose. "Byakugan!" A light set of veins appeared on the outer corners of his eyes. He glanced up and down her body and delve into her features as if reading her like a book. "I see neither talent, nor special abilities with you. I believe there will be no use for you."

"What?!" Tenten shouted. "What are you talking about 'no use for me'?"

"My Lord has taken an interest in women with special abilities and traits to further his research in creating the perfect army of ninja. Only women with bloodline qualities are to be kept."

"Bloodline qualities? An army? What is he planning?!"

"Well I suppose I can tell you this since you are not going to be alive in the next few minutes." Neji said cruelly.

"…!!"

"My Lord plans to use the special abilities of specific women in creating new elite ninjas, much like the Akatsuki; a small yet powerful group from years ago. My Lord destroyed the last of this group and decided to crush the village of Konoha. Now, from this point forward, all humans will be judged by my master and his elites like myself to deem who is worthy of the new Akatsuki and its following." Neji chuckled. "I hope you are prepared for your fate woman. I deem you unworthy. Now you die."

Tenten pushed the children as far back into the corner of the main chamber. "Stay back as far you can kids." She said as she pulled six kunai knives out of her leg pouches. Tenten knew this fight was going to be impossible to win. She used to practice with Neji and never could she get a hit on him. His defenses were too powerful.

She stood there waiting for Neji to make his move. They were technically both defensive fighters, but Neji was different now. He held his stance, both hands up at shoulder height and in front of him, knees bent, one palm facing out as if pushing a wall away from himself. It was the fighting stance of the Hyuga clan. Tenten held her kunai, arms crossed, ready to attempt a strike on him.

Neji quickly lunged at her, forcing the gentle fist technique upon her. He struck her once in the forearm, cutting off one of her chakra points. Tenten winced and she slashed at him with three knives, making him retreat. This time Tenten threw all six of her kunai at him and leapt into the air. He dodged the knives by back flipping out of the way.

Up in the air, Tenten pulled out her two scrolls, it was the only attack she could perform right now, all of her other weapon scrolls were destroyed in the Konoha attack. Quickly she unraveled each scroll and cast her jutsu, "Rising twin dragons!" The two scrolls spun in a spiraling motion around her and she began to pull as many weapons as she could and flung them towards Neji, hoping that one of them would hit.

Unfortunately, Neji quickly went into defensive strategy. "Eight trigrams palm heavenly spin!" His body began to rotate and emit chakra into a shield, blocking all of the weapons she threw.

Her last option was to try again. She leapt into the air again and used her chakra to control the weaponry; hopefully she would be able to hit him. The weapons flew up high and she let them soar back towards him, under her control this time.

Yet again, Neji produced the same move. It was hopeless for her. She would have to try hand to hand combat and dodge his gentle fist technique. She landed on the ground and charged him, a single kunai in hand. She slashed at him, trying desperately to cripple him, but not kill him. Though he was trying to kill her, she could not do the same. Killing her friend and teammate when he can't gain control of himself was the last thing she wanted. She dodged and jabbed at him but for everyone swipe she missed, he was able to strike her chakra points. He was merciless. Strike after strike, he finally closed all of them. She was completely defenseless now and exhausted. She barely had the strength to hold her knife.

Quickly, Neji took the opportunity to release one last blow to her face, knocking her to the floor. She hit the ground pretty hard, her cheek now and partially swollen from the strike. She was in trouble now.

"Like I said earlier, you're weak. There is no part in my Lord's future for you." Neji smiled and chuckled. "But before you die, there may be a part for you to play in _my_ future."

Neji stepped over Tenten and reached for the candle on the rock stool. The children backed away from him as he took it. Next he picked Tenten up from around her waist and tossed her out into the cavern hallway like a rag doll.

"Say goodbye to your lady friend, children," Neji laughed and looked at the candle. He focused his chakra on his hand and let the candle catch on it. It began to spark and pop in his hand, the flame rose higher on the wick. Neji then ejected the chakra onto the nearby furs, which quickly caught ablaze. Everything in the room began to catch fire and the children started to panic and scream. Neji quickly exited the main chamber and used a strong jutsu "Eight trigrams, one hundred twenty eight palms!" to seal the chamber off. He struck at the wall with great force, causing it to collapse on itself. The children were trapped with the blazing fire inside.

Tenten could here their cries of pain and she reached out to the sealed chamber in tears, "NO!! Please don't do this!!" she screamed.

Neji picked her up by the waist again and forced her into the nearest room which happened to be the hospital wing. He roughly tossed her onto a table; she lay on her back unable to move. The shock of watching the horror that took place moments ago. She was scarred for life. Now she knew how Hinata must be feeling.

--

Ino thought she heard a lot of screaming from the main chamber and figured that Tenten just isn't qualified to look after kids. Ino had just about given up on Hinata and figured it would be safe enough to leave her there and go check on Tenten and the kids. She left the back sleep quarter and headed for the main chamber. To her surprise the chamber was not there!

In a panic Ino ran to the hospital wing, unaware of what she would find. Inside she saw Tenten laying on one of the tables face up.

"Tenten?! Oh shit Tenten!! What happened? Are you alright?!" Ino screamed. She ran to Tenten and touched her forehead. Tenten stirred a little bit and seemed to look at her and pass out again. "No! Stay with me Tenten! Wake up! Where are the kids!!"

Suddenly Ino felt a strike to the back of her head, it wasn't very hard but enough to knock her unconscious.

Neji watched the blond fall to the fall. "So this is where you've been hiding. Lord Sasuke has missed you." He stared at the blonde and decided to bind her hands and tie her feet to prevent her escape. "You'll be coming back with me as soon as I'm finished here."

After placing Ino in a corner of the hospital, Neji returned to the passed out girl on the table and began to undress her. "I'll make a lot of use out of you right here girl."

_To be continued…_

--

Oh my!! This chapter is much longer than the other ones I have produced. I was up all night writing this chapter because I just couldn't stop typing! Please leave me some feedback on how you like this chapter content. Happy reading!


	13. Chapter 13

Greetings my friends

Greetings my friends!! Shall we move on?

Chapter 13

Permanent Sunset: Departure and Arrival

_The sand rushed through the air and tried to grasp onto the enemy. It missed. Kakashi Hatake was much too fast for it. In retaliation, Kakashi threw several kunai and stars back at Gaara. Sand formed between Gaara and the weapons, stopping them from hitting. _

_Where was Shikamaru's team? _

_Temari and Shino were busy facing off with Rock Lee, whose speed and quick attacks easily avoided the wind elements of Temari's fan and the insects couldn't keep up with him. Lee was rushing around them in circles, keeping the two of them guessing his next move. _

"_Leaf hurricane!!" Lee screamed and he struck a massive blow to Shino's face and he collapsed to the ground. It seemed that Shino was unconscious until the body began to disperse and insects seemed to pile out of it. Shino completely disappeared. _

_Lee focused his attention on Temari and didn't notice the insect master when he released a swarm directly behind him. They attacked Lee and attempted to drain him of chakra. Temari took the opportunity to send a wind scythe at him as he tried to rid himself of all the insects. This knocked Lee off his feet and sent him flying, landing in the wet snow. _

_The insects retracted to their master, for they did not like the coldness of the snow._

"_My insects will need to recuperate after that blow. This season is not good for them." Shino said to Temari. _

"_Fine, just back me up then, "she said._

_Lee sloppily got to his feet and raised both his hands in a ready stance, gesturing for them to attack him. "Let's see what you're made of."_

_Together, Temari and Shino leapt at Lee. Kunai in Shino's hand and fan in Temari's, they plunged towards the green clad ninja with all their strength. _

_Nearby in the mist, Gaara had his hands full trying to avoid several jutsu and weapons thrown with precision. This jounin was so advanced and carried more years of experience than Gaara did. Also in the back of his mind, he knew this ninja was a friend to Naruto and Sakura. He didn't want to use lethal force if it meant restoring both of their villages. They would need all the help they could find to rebuild. It would be much more difficult to play the offensive. All he could do was continue to evade and try to trap Kakashi within the sand. This was also a good opportunity to capture their attackers and force them to disclose the location and identity of their leader. _

_Shino was nearing the end of his chakra reserves, his insects had devoured quite a bit of it to regain their strength, he had collapsed in exhaustion. This left Lee and Temari one on one. She was also close to being out of chakra; she would only have enough to send one more wave of wind. _

_Temari blocked a kick from Lee and counter attacked with a swing of her fan towards his head. _

_Close call… Lee ducked and gained momentum on all fours, sweeping Temari's feet out from underneath her. Her fan flew several feet away and it disappeared into the snow. She tried desperately to find it again, but Lee was right on top of her. He kicked her in the stomach and elbowed her in the back, forcing her down. She cringed with pain and curled up into a ball to try and suppress it. _

"_Ugh…" she winced and held her belly. She tried to call out for Gaara's help, but he was so far away. How could she have let them become separated like this? "G…Gaara!" Her shouting was muffled by the snow. Lee kicked her one more time in the side and kneeled down next to her. He flipped her onto her back and grabbed her hands, stretching out to the sides and he leaned into her, to stare her down. _

_She forced her eyes shut. _

"_Look at me!!" Lee shouted at her. _

_Temari reluctantly opened her eyes. She peered into the blackened pools that were Lee's eyes; his usually goofy appearance completely absent. This man was powerful and hardy._

_What was he planning?_

_She had to try to reach him before… "Lee…please…"_

"_Shut up," he demanded and he adjusted her hands over her head and held them together with one of his own. His other hand carelessly fell to her shirt; dragging his fingers down her chest. _

_Tears stung her eyes, she felt vulnerable and humiliated. Temari had never let an opponent put her in this position. _

_Lee trailed the curve of her breast and traced one finger back up to the collar of her mesh top. He tore away at the cotton fabric all the way down to her mesh shirt. _

_Temari's back was beginning to freeze, the snow soaked her clothing and it nipped at her skin with icy teeth. _

_No emotions fell over Lee's face as he continued his palpations. _

_She couldn't give in. Temari began struggling; trying to shake off the intruding hands. She kicked her feet and tried to knee him in the stomach, but to no avail. She now knew that there was no escape and she was weak without her fan. _

_Lee let his hand run all over her chest, relishing in the tender flesh. He was going to make the most of her company. Ready to tear the mesh shirt away; Lee stopped. Something flew past his ear; a light sound, like grains of uncooked rice spilling on a hard surface. It was getting louder and Lee could see something visible floating through the air. Suddenly a large brown mass engulfed him and forced him off of Temari. It was sand!_

_Gaara had noticed how far apart the team had gotten and realized they needed to capture the enemy together. He dodged one of Kakashi's water jutsu and made a dash for the other end of the misty field leaving Kakashi to chase after him. The scene before him was shocking. He found Lee on top of his sister and rage filled his heart. If he still had the Shukaku inside of him, it would have made itself known. _

_The sand squirmed and hissed…flying at Lee, wrapping itself around his limbs and torso and forcing him off of Temari. Gaara held Lee in the air, upside down. _

_Temari jumped to her feet and grasped the shredded pieces of her shirt and mesh, holding her hands against her chest to hide her dignity._

_One down…_

_Kakashi was not far behind. Any second now he would be appearing…_

_Gaara had to focus now, Temari was practically defenseless without her fan and she was out of chakra. Keeping Lee in the air, shielding Temari from attack, and fighting another opponent would be tricky. To make things easier, he told Temari to quickly flee and find the others because he would need backup in order to face Kakashi of the Sharingan. Temari did as she was told and sprinted in the direction of the forest._

_He listened carefully, waiting for a sign of attack. What Gaara did not realize was the large shuriken that was soaring towards the back of his head…and how slow his sand was to stopping it…_

_In mere seconds it would hit its mark…_

_Clang!!_

Gaara turned sharply towards the metallic collision. "Hmph…why are _you_ here?"

A kunai knife lay on the ground and the oversized shuriken lay a few feet behind it. By Gaara's side was Sakura.

"That's real nice Gaara, I saved your life and what thanks do I get? You guys never assigned me anything, what am I supposed to do? Sit and wait in the burrow? I'm not _that _useless am I?" she said angrily.

"This really isn't the time for this Sakura. We can't risk losing both of our medics. I appreciate you stopping that shuriken; now go back to the burrow." Gaara demanded. "Kakashi is nearby…go back now."

"No."

"…"

"Kakashi was my sensei so I have a right to be here," She said. She pulled another kunai from her leg pouch. "One left…" She looked at the large shuriken on the ground. "_That used to be Sasuke's…from when we first became a squad. I can't believe Kakashi still has it. I wonder…"_

"What truly gets me is the fact that Kakashi hasn't killed us yet…" Gaara looked up at the ninja trapped in the sand. "…and he doesn't seem to be panicking at all. Something isn't right. Most ninja fear the crushing blow of my 'sand burial'."

"Why is Kakashi hesitating? He must have thrown that shuriken for some reason…" Sakura looked at Lee and her eyes filled with sadness and anger, "Lee…why are you doing this? Why is Kakashi not attacking?!"

Lee shifted his gaze to the pink haired kunoichi and smiled at her menacingly. His glare frightened her; icy gray eyes met with emerald irises.

"TELL ME!" Sakura screamed.

Lee chuckled.

Sakura began to cry. "Lift me up." She wiped a few tears away but more seemed to pour out.

"What?" Gaara stressed.

"Lift…me …up," she said once again. It was a command.

He knew he wasn't going to win this argument. Gaara allowed some of the sand to fall from Lee's restraints and make a nice and neat stepping stone under Sakura's feet. Gaara guided the sand step with his chakra, allowing it to float close to the restrained ninja. He flipped Lee right side up so Sakura could speak to him easily and watched intently as she tried to push her way into Lee's psyche.

"Lee..." Sakura said gently. She relaxed her muscles, took a deep breath, and allowed her hands to touch his face. She stroked his cheeks tenderly. "Please come back to us…you remember me…Sakura," She let her hands drop a little to trace his jaw line. Her caresses seemed to be working. Lee's horrendous smile was beginning to fade and his face began to soften; but those clouds in the eyes never left their home. "I know you don't want to be this way, I can see it." Her method seemed to be working; he was letting her touch him without showing signs of hostility.

_Inside Lee's head was a long battle against himself. His true persona fought the genjutsu; locked in combat against a foe that was slowly eating away at him. He could see Sakura trying to reach out to him and he could do nothing. Every time he tried to touch her hands, the cloud would separate them even further apart. Not this time! I can see you Sakura!! He pushed his way through the shadows and came within inches of her._

For a second there, Sakura thought she saw a hint of those black pearls that were Lee's eyes. For a split second he was forcing back the genjutsu and seemed to recognize her. He head lolled back and forth slightly, each persona fighting for dominance. Sakura could only think of one thing to do and it was the only idea she had left. Quickly she captured Lee's face again and brought his lips to hers in a heartfelt kiss. Lee in his present state was stunned.

Below, Gaara was staring in disbelief. _What could she possibly be thinking?? _"Sakura! We're in the middle of a battle!" he shouted, but she didn't seem to notice.

She let her lips trace his mouth; they were so soft and he seemed to be responding to her touch. He kissed her back, to her surprise.

"_Did I truly find Lee?"_

Sakura let her arms snake themselves around Lee's neck as they continued their passionate kiss. She raked her fingers on the back of his neck, making the hairs stand up. His kiss became a little more forceful, practically begging her to free him.

Gaara was becoming rather impatient and he jolted the sand step a little, bringing her out of this bliss.

Sakura broke away from Lee's lips and quickly apologized to Gaara. "I'm sorry…I was just trying to…"

"It's not going to work Sakura. You may be able to bring him back temporarily but this genjutsu is far too strong for you to break alone. We need to find out who the leader is and kill him. Ask Lee now that you have his attention, hurry!" Gaara crossed his arms in irritation and watched Sakura hesitate. "Now! Sakura! Hurry up before he loses himself again!"

Sakura leaned in to Lee's ear and whispered, "Lee, please tell me…who is your master? Where is he and why is he doing these things to you and the rest of us?"

Lee blinked several times and shook his head. He was so confused… _"Sakura…I want to tell you…I'm trying to…" _His head slumped forward, chin touching his collar bone. "S…ak..ura…."

"What?! Lee! Keep talking! Anything you can tell me before you return to the influence of the genjutsu!! Please!!" she cried.

"I…I…" Lee stuttered and struggled with his words but it was too late. His eyes rolled back into his head and the enemy persona had returned. The 'green beast' released a devilish smile and forced Sakura to back away. Lee began cackling hysterically.

Gaara quickly lowered her to the safety of the ground and he scolded her for taking too much time. "You won't be doing that again."

"I'm sorry…" Sakura said. "But I think I know why Kakashi stopped attacking."

Gaara waited for her to finish.

"He can't use his sharingan. When I looked into Lee's eyes up there, they were completely covered with that genjutsu and when we were fighting Lee earlier, he never used his strongest techniques on us. I believe that the genjutsu is preventing the elites from using their strongest techniques. Their leader must also be afraid of what the elites can do if they become unstable. I think Lee happens to be one of the unstable ones. We can only think of how devastating Kakashi could be if he were able to use the sharingan on us. Their leader must be thinking 'what if they revert back?' I'm hoping this theory is correct. That means Kakashi will be forced to waste all of his chakra on simpler techniques and taijutsu. Therefore, he is going to stop attacking us now to preserve what little chakra he has left."

"If your theory is true, then Kakashi is likely hiding in the forest now. We can only hope that Shikamaru's team can find him; so much for a surprise tactic on their part." Gaara rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What could they possibly be doing out there?"

"Don't worry about, Shikamaru isn't stupid. He's probably already come up with a plan and then he'll…." Sakura stopped abruptly.

She had heard something. _Screaming?_

Gaara looked in the direction of the burrow. "Screams…"

Lee laughed maniacally. "You're too late!!"

Sakura spun around and looked towards their home. Smoke was rising out of the front entrance. It was completely visible because of the flames behind it. "A fire?!" In panic she sped off towards the burrow as fast as her feet would carry her. The smoke was getting thicker as she got closer. "No! This can't be happening!! Tenten!! Ino!!"

Gaara was right behind her with Lee floating above him.

They were getting closer…and closer to the entrance…but they were stopped dead in their tracks when a silhouette appeared at the entrance…two silhouettes for that matter. Upon closer inspection…Sakura screamed again.

"Tenten!!"

It was Tenten and Neji. He held her arms behind her back with one hand and a large kunai was closing in on her throat. Tenten was badly beaten, one of her eyes had turned purple and she was cut up pretty badly on her arms. Burns ran up and down her exposed legs. Her clothing had been torn apart, particularly around the waist and hips. The inside seam of her pants was shredded and Sakura could see blood running down her legs.

"You didn't!!" Sakura yelled at Neji.

Neji smirked and nodded.

"Bastard!!" Sakura was ready to charge him and kill him for what he'd done.

"Sakura! Hold your ground!" Gaara bellowed at her.

Gaara calmly assessed the situation and wished that Shikamaru had been there so he could cast his shadow possession on Neji to make things easier. "Release Tenten."

"Ha! You are in no position to be making demands. Release my comrade and I'll let her live." To exert his point, he pressed the kunai into Tenten's neck, causing it to bleed slightly.

Gaara saw no other way out of this. He had to release Lee to save as many lives as possible and they were wasting time. They needed to extinguish the flames in the burrow and rescue the children and Ino who were trapped inside. Slowly, Gaara let the sand touch the ground. Lee broke free of the sand and leaped behind Neji.

Neji gave Lee further instructions, "You are out of chakra. Go back to Konoha and tell our master the mission was a partial success."

Lee bowed to Neji and sprinted off in the direction of Konoha.

Neji returned his attention to Gaara and Sakura. "You should never have let your guard down…otherwise they may have lived longer."

Sakura gasped. "Lived…longer?!"

"I put an end to their suffering…and now…" Neji glimpsed down at Tenten, who was crying and too weak to struggle against him. "…now I shall put an end to her suffering." With that Neji quickly slit Tenten's throat and pushed her into Gaara, who caught her.

Sakura lost it. She dove to the ground as Gaara laid the dying Tenten on the snow bawling and crying out for Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others for help.

Furious, Gaara sent all of his sand at Neji with the intention to kill. Neji easily dodged the sand and sent a few kunai in Sakura's direction. The sand reverted back towards Sakura to shield her and Tenten from harm.

Neji managed to escape into the forest.

Gaara couldn't chase after him. He had to deal with the flames inside the burrow. He had to leave Tenten and Sakura's side for a moment. He rushed into the burrow and realized the main chamber had been caved in at the entrance. He could see the flames on the other side by peeking through cracks in the rock. Quickly Gaara built up his chakra and placed both hands on the walls. The rocks began to crumble and fall apart, turning into sand minerals. When he finished that, he sent all of his sand inside the room and let it fly throughout the room, putting out all the fires. The sand returned to his gourd shortly after. When the smoke cleared from the room, Gaara was sent into a state of shock when he realized that the children had never made it out of the room. For the first time since he was revived by Chiyo so long ago after Shukaku's extraction, Gaara let a tear fall down his cheek.

Meanwhile, Sakura remained outside in the cold with Tenten, crying as she held the girl who was gasping and choking for air. Sakura tried her hardest to build enough chakra to stop the bleeding, but she had wasted a lot of her chakra trying to pry into Lee's mind earlier. Tenten coughed and sputtered up blood, it dripped from the corners of her mouth and from the elongated gash on her throat. Sakura placed one hand over the wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Tenten! Please don't leave us!!" Sakura cried out.

Tenten fell into shock and was beginning to lose consciousness.

"I have no chakra! Tenten please hold on!!" Sakura begged. She pushed both of her hands onto Tenten's neck, trying her hardest to help her friend.

Gaara emerged from the burrow and rushed to Sakura's side. He looked over the wound on Tenten. There was no way of saving her and Gaara knew this. All they could do now was comfort Tenten in her final moments.

Sakura seemed to look to Gaara for comfort herself and she looked at him. Tears in his eyes? Something had happened.

Tenten murmured something inaudible and reached out her hands in panic. Gaara instinctively took one of her flailing hands and held it tightly, doing his best to give her some ease.

Finally Tenten's anxiety began to subside and realized that she could not escape this. It was time for her to let go. She forced her free hand to stop flailing about and she put it over her heart while looking up at the two friends.

Sakura understood the motion and tried hard to smile at her. She removed her hands from Tenten's throat and instead placed one hand behind her head to gently massage it.

Tenten mouthed her final words… " …. … …. …. …."

Sakura read Tenten's lips. It was too much and she muttered a final response to her friend, "We love… you too Tenten…" Her tears dripped onto the dying girl's forehead.

Tenten seemed to smile. Her beautiful brown eyes darkened and pupils dilated.

With the presence of her friends, the joys of her life in memory, and the gift of being free again…Tenten died.

Sakura fell over onto her friend's body, shaking uncontrollably and crying out loud.

Gaara didn't know what to do. At one point in his life, death meant nothing to him and he killed people on a whim. This seemed so different and foreign to him. He had learned to love in the past few years and this stirred new feelings within him. Hurt, anger, and fear for his other friends.

Sakura's cries could have been heard for miles.

In the misty field, behind Gaara, Sakura and Tenten, the other team had finally come back. Temari managed to locate them and discovered that they were in combat with several clones of Kakashi. The clones were sent as a distraction to separate the group. The elites managed this and their mission had been a success.

On their way back, Temari managed to find her fan and Naruto and Shikamaru picked up Shino and carried him back to the burrow. Choji, Kiba, and Akamaru trailed behind them but were on their way. Sadness had sunk in when they saw the entire picture before them; Tenten lying on the ground with Sakura crying over her. Blood stained the snow all around them.

Gaara stood up and took a few steps towards the group. He let his head fall forward; arms were crossed and he began to explain what happened.

The group was disheartened at the news of Tenten and the children.

There was only one thing they could possibly do for Tenten now and that was to give her a proper burial.

But first, the group needed to go into the burrow for the remainder of the night before they froze. Temari was already showing signs of hypothermia and so was Sakura.

Naruto was kind enough to escort his teammate back inside the burrow, not letting her look into the room containing the bodies of the kids. The rest of the group had followed suit, not wanting to see the destruction of the main chamber.

Gaara used his sand one last time tonight to carry Tenten's body into the hospital wing.

Upon arrival he discovered another body lying on the floor. "Ino?" Quickly he placed the body on a table and rushed over to Ino. She was tied up at the hands and feet. "Did Neji do this? Are you injured?!" Gaara quickly pulled a kunai from his pouch and cut her bonds.

Ino seemed a little shaky and she couldn't seem to get a grasp on herself. " G…G…aara… I saw so many… horrid…t-things….he did…to her…"

Gaara knew she was talking about Neji but he didn't want to cause her to go into hysterics. He did his best to keep her calm but Ino managed to look over at the table with the pile of sand and a body.

"Wh…who is…that? Lying there? Gaara?" Ino begged for him to tell her.

Before he could say anything, Ino got up and wobbled over to the table, paused, and gasped. Her hands shot up to her face to cover her mouth and nose. Her eyes welled up and turned a red color from crying so much.

"No….no…it can't be!!" Ino was beginning to have a panic attack. Her heart was pounding, her throat felt like it was being suffocated, and her legs felt like jello.

"Ino, don't. You can't be like this in your condition. Try to remain calm." Gaara tried his hardest to relax himself. He used his sand to cover the whole of Tenten's body so Ino couldn't see it.

Ino backed away from him and started shaking her head back and forth and she fell to the ground, this time she held her belly and screamed in pain. Her panic was causing….

"Oh shit…"Gaara exclaimed and rushed out of the hospital wing calling for Kiba.

Kiba was in Shikamaru's sleep chamber, discussing their plans for the funeral and what they had to do within the next week.

Gaara interrupted and practically dragged the two of them down the cavern hall. "What the hell? Gaara what's wrong?" Kiba asked. "We need to make decisions immediately."

"I'm aware of this!" Gaara shouted.

All the shouting roused Naruto's interest. He had been in the chamber with Hinata inside. Shino, Choji, Sakura and Temari were in there with her. Sakura was in pretty poor shape and Temari wanted to be there to comfort her. Shino was resting comfortably on a pile of furs. Choji sat up against the back wall in quiet contemplation. Hinata didn't seem to be so frightened of them anymore, as long as Naruto was there with her, she didn't mind.

Naruto followed Gaara, Shikamaru, and Kiba down the hall to the hospital wing with great curiosity. "What are you guys doing? Why the yelling?"

Shikamaru turned to look at Naruto and shrugged his shoulders. "Just go back to the last chamber with Shino, Choji, and the girls. We'll call if you're needed."

Naruto moped a little and went back to the chamber to sit with the others. He muttered under his breath, _"…jerks never tell me anything…"_

Gaara led the way back to the hospital wing, Shikamaru and Kiba in tow. They entered the room and found Ino lying in the corner; back against the wall. She held her belly protectively. Her knees were bent, exposing the back of her legs. The boys could see a liquid staining her shorts and pouring out onto the floor.

Kiba's eyes widened. "No! Not yet! It's too early!"

Shikamaru slapped his forehead, "Guys…we're not out of the woods yet…"

Kiba was instantly at her side. He touched her forehead and she was severely hot, yet clammy. He needed to check all of her vital signs, which he began immediately.

Shikamaru offered to go get the girls for this situation but Kiba refused the offer.

"We can't pull the girls in. They are far too shaken up, especially Sakura and she would be the most qualified for this. We need people who are relaxed this very minute. We're going to have to help Ino ourselves," he said.

"Ughhhhh…what a drag!"

"Cut it out Shikamaru! She needs help! Now come down here!" Kiba yelled. "Okay…now don't panic guys." He closed his eyes and tried to think rationally. "Gaara, I know you're not used to this sort of thing, but I'm gonna be the one to deliver, with Shikamaru as my aid. I want you to sit behind Ino as a back support. She can't be lying flat on her back like this."

Ino let out a scream again and turned herself on her side. "Aaaahhhhhhhh!! Kiba!! I can't do this!! It hurts!!" She curled into a fetal position.

"Ino, you can't lay like that, try to sit up so Gaara can help you." Kiba said gently.

"No…I can't move….!! It hurts so badly!!" she cried.

"I know it does. We're not going to leave you, please just try to bear with us."

Ino cried hard as she managed to roll onto her back. Kiba took her hands and slowly pulled her up towards himself so Gaara could squeeze in behind her. Kiba let her hands go so she could fall back against Gaara's chest. Ino instinctively grabbed for Gaara's hands for support.

Gaara rested his chin on one of her shoulders. This was completely odd for him, he was somewhat embarrassed to be in this situation but it was for the best intentions and that made this job easier.

Kiba looked for his dog. "Akamaru, come."

The loyal dog bounded from the opposite corner of the hospital wing to his master.

"Try to find some clean towels and bring them here."

Akamaru barked and began to search the room, sniffing in every bag looking for the items.

--

_Four hours had passed and the boys stayed by Ino's side. She cried a lot and begged them to stop the pain. It only intensified and even the others down the cavern hall could hear everything that was going on. Naruto would not let any of them leave that room no matter what._

"I'm going to check dilation now." Kiba said. He began to remove Ino's shorts, the material clung to her legs and he managed to peel them off. Shikamaru looked away and couldn't help but blush. He also felt a twinge of guilt. Gaara was lucky; he couldn't see anything from his position; but still turned red none the less.

Kiba tossed the drenched shorts aside. Next he picked up one of the clean towels and cleaned his hands off as best he could. Their water supply had not been replenished yet, so they had to do with what they could.

"Ok Ino…just try to relax…" Kiba said.

Ino nodded and tried to hold back all of her pain.

"Deep breaths…" Shikamaru added.

Kiba bent her knees and pushed them apart. "Shikamaru, hold her knees apart so she doesn't close them again. There's going to be a lot of pressure."

Shikamaru sighed and complied. He leaned over Ino slightly and put a hand on each of her knees, putting down his own pressure to keep them apart.

Kiba waited for Shikamaru to ready himself.

"Ok." Shikamaru said nervously.

With that, Kiba reached a hand to Ino's lower region and carefully inserted two fingers into her, feeling the inside of her cervix.

Ino squeezed Gaara's hands, and she moved her body in discomfort. Her face contorted somewhat. "Ugh…" she moaned. Her legs didn't want to hold still.

Shikamaru put a little more strength behind his hands and held her legs tightly, "If I was in your position Kiba, I would never be able to show my face to society due to embarrassment. I don't know how you can do that and keep a straight face." Shikamaru said.

"Well, I'm not complaining." Kiba said.

A few minutes passed and Kiba removed his hand and wiped his fingers on the towel again. "If I had to guess, Ino is about eight inches dilated. You still have some time; we have to wait until at least ten."

Shikamaru released her legs and let himself relax for a few minutes. He took one of Ino's hands from Gaara and held it.

Ino moaned loudly as another contraction passed through her body. It was intense and nothing that she had ever felt before. It was worse than getting a wound from battle.

"Just breathe through it…you can do it…" Shikamaru said. He caressed her hand and tried hard to keep her calm. It seemed to be working.

The contraction passed and Ino shifted slightly against Gaara to gain a little more comfort. She continued to breathe heavy and listened to the boys as they gave her words of encouragement.

_Another hour…_

Ino was in more pain than she take. Her breathing was heavily labored and she was squeezing the life out of Gaara's hands. Amazingly, he did not flinch once.

Kiba had just finished doing another dilation check. "Yup, its time. Okay, Shikamaru I need you to keep her legs from closing again. Gaara just keep doing what you're doing."

Ino squirmed and cried out several times. She begged the boys to just pull it out.

Kiba squeezed her leg gently, "We can't baby. You have to push it out."

"Please?!" she cried.

"No, this is something only you can do." Kiba said sympathetically. He really wanted to help her, but there was only so much he could do besides waiting and coaching. "You have to tell us when you're having a contraction so we count for you."

Ino nodded. "Okay…" So she waited a few minutes. It seemed like forever in her case, but shortly she began to feel a pressure building up just like she did the past five and a half hours. "I can feel…one coming…" she said, slightly panicked.

"Alright, alright, stay relaxed…how close is it?" Shikamaru asked.

"Any….second…." she replied, beginning to feel the build up of pain.

"Okay, when it comes you just need to bear down and push like you're using a restroom." Kiba said.

"Yeah…that's the part that's gonna fucking suck!" Ino yelled. Her contraction had started to peak. "Now!"

"Okay now take a breath; hold it and push with all your might." Kiba said with confidence.

Ino did exactly that. She held her breath and cringed as she began pushing. She could hear Shikamaru and Kiba counting to ten together. Having them there to help her actually made her feel better. She could never do this alone.

"Okay, another breath and push!" Kiba coached her once again. They repeated this step several times and through several contractions. Progress was very slow and painful for her. She cried heavily and begged to stop during some pushes which they granted. She was tired and miserable, but she had every good reason to be that way.

"I'm starting to see the head." Kiba smiled at Ino and she nodded at him. "Now until the baby is born, try to hold the push as long as possible instead of short bursts. We're so close Ino; you're doing a great job." Kiba peered at her nether region again and could see the pale hair on the baby's head. "We are very close."

The next wave came and Ino began to push again with extra force. "Aaaahhhhh!!" she screamed.

Kiba kept a close eye on the head as it began to crown; he touched the outer skin of Ino's vaginal area and gently stretched it so the baby's head could pass through easier. It didn't give a lot of slack, so he worried about her tearing her skin a little. The top of the baby's head was out and now the face was beginning to pass.

"Keep going Ino, the head is halfway out!" Shikamaru cheered. He was certainly excited for a lazy guy.

Ino gave one last push and heard Kiba happily cheer for her as well. "You did it, the head is out and the hard part is over!" He looked around the hospital wing for Akamaru. "Akamaru, bring one of those furs over here okay?"

Akamaru barked happily. Even the dog was aware of the miracle taking place. He fetched the nearest fur and dragged it over to Kiba.

"Thanks boy!"

Kiba took one of the clean towels and began to wipe the baby's face clean, doing his best to clear out any obstructions from its nose and mouth.

Ino had the chance to relax knowing that the worst was over. She let Kiba deal with the stress for a few minutes until she needed to push again.

Shikamaru released Ino's legs since there was no point to holding them now. He would sit and wait until Kiba asked for his help again, if need be.

In a mere two minutes, Ino's contraction came back and prepared to force that baby out on this one. The counting began again and she pushed with all her remaining stamina. The shoulders slipped out and then the torso and finally the feet.

"Congratulations Ino, it's a boy!" Kiba shouted in excitement.

Ino fell back against Gaara and let out a sigh of relief.

_To be continued…_

Wow!! I can hardly believe how long this chapter took for me to type. Like the last one I just couldn't stop! I cried through this chapter myself; your thoughts and opinions mean a lot to me. Tell me how you like this chapter. I hope it was the most exciting chapter for you to read as it was for me to write! Happy reading!!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Permanent Sunset: Cries of Hurt

_Ino collapsed into Gaara's chest, a temporary relief. Her belly was cramping and the blood seeped out of her. She still ached though…_

_Kiba glanced down at the crying infant in his arms and felt a sudden warmth wash over him. He had done something that none of his friends had ever accomplished, not even Sakura even with all of her medical training. He delivered a child into the world and he couldn't help but smile. Kiba held the child close to his warm body; with a sharp claw he separated child from mother. The stack of clean towels lay nearby and he took one to wrap the babe in. _

"Kiba…"

"What is it?" He never took his eyes off the child.

"Something's not right," Shikamaru said. "Ino shouldn't be hurting this much anymore."

_He was right. Ino was still crying and squirming around in agony. _

"Shit…okay, Shikamaru, take the kid and stand aside."

"What? No way, I'm no good with kids…"

"Just take the kid!!"

Kiba pretty much forced the infant into the reluctant ninja's arms. Immediately the dog-nin retook his place at Ino's legs. He picked up the umbilical cord which was still attached to the mother and gave a very gentle tug. Normally the afterbirth just slides out easily, but there was a problem-it wouldn't budge.

"It's not shaking loose. I have another idea that may help. Give me a hand Gaara." Kiba grasped onto Ino's hands and pulled her up into a sitting position. "Now you get up and kneel in front of her. We're gonna use gravity to get this thing out."

Gaara did as he was asked and got up; his back was really stiff for sitting like that for hours. He knelt down in front of Ino and wrapped his arm around her waist and mid back, supporting her on her knees. Her chin rested on his shoulder and she curled her arms around his neck instinctively. She let out another moan of pain. Gaara was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the situation but still managed to carry on.

Kiba positioned himself behind the girl in pain and reached for the cord once again, tugging on it with a little more force. Ino let out a gasp and whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut and burying them in Gaara's shirt.

"It's not releasing, Ino try giving it another push."

She shook her head no and muffled a cry into the sand shinobi's shirt.

"Come on girl, you have to." Kiba rubbed her lower back to try and comfort her.

She let her face shy away from the offending shirt and slowly looked over her shoulder at her lover. Softly she spoke, "It hurts…please make it stop…"

Kiba glanced at her sympathetically, "I'm doing my best, but you need to cooperate with me. Now try again."

Tears fell down her cheeks and she sunk her face back into Gaara, beginning to bear down against the intense pain. Gaara could feel how hard she was working; her stomach was straining and heaving against his. The muscles in her arms clenched and she was actually biting at his clothing. He had never seen a person in so much agony before, not even those who were crushed by his jutsu's in the past.

Kiba crouched close to the ground to look between her legs; he could see something finally emerging from her body. "That a girl, keep it up!" He reached both hands under her, encouraging her to spread her knees further apart. The object pushed its way through her birth canal and Kiba squint his eyes. "What the hell?"

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked, trying his best to console a crying infant. He saw Kiba reaching under his teammate with both hands. "Kiba?"

The dog-nin gasped. "Oh god…it's a twin! But this one is really small." The newborn slipped from Ino's body easily and Kiba inspected the child. "It's another little boy. But he's not crying, something is wrong with him." Instantly Kiba flipped the baby over onto its belly and began to vigorously rub the infant's back. "C'mon…c'mon!!" He used one finger to clear out the baby's mouth, removing any obstructions.

Ten minutes had passed and there was no response from the baby. Sadness had stricken the group once again. It was clear to them that this child never had a fighting chance. Ino was hurting the most and she had cried herself to an unconscious state. Her body limply fell into Gaara and he gently laid her onto the floor.

Kiba placed the stillborn child in another towel and covered the baby's face. He carried the little boy to one of the medical tables close to Tenten's body.

Shikamaru sighed and looked at the infant in his arms who was now sleeping. The tiny hands had curled around one of his fingers. The shadow-nin couldn't help but smile and spoke to the babe, "Man…your turning me into a softie."

Kiba continued his work with Ino, starting with cleanup and removal of both placentas. There was no need for her to be awake anymore. "Look after the kid until Ino wakes up bro."

Shikamaru nodded. "Whatever."

--

_After several hours in the hospital wing, Gaara deemed it necessary to tell the others the news. He received several gasps and "How is she doing?" from them. There was also the matter of what they were going to do in the next few days. Ino and Hinata could not be left alone and their final battle must take place within the week, otherwise they could never defeat the permanent sunset and will succumb to death. _

_Plans were made to have a final meeting the following morning. After Gaara's review of the situation, Sakura seemed to have regained control of her emotions and rushed to the hospital wing to be with Ino. She caught Kiba by surprise when she offered to assist him. _

_Shikamaru gladly accepted Sakura's help and handed off the newborn to her. The baby would be better off in a female's hands according to the shadow-nin. She held the baby and checked him over, listening to his breathing and looking at his body for any injuries during the birth. The baby was two months early and smaller than he should be, but with proper care he would survive. After the once over, Sakura let her maternal instincts take over. She lay with the baby on a pile of furs, next to Ino, waiting for her friend to wake up. Ino looked so peaceful in her sleep. Kiba had done an excellent job in looking after her and even pulled a few extra furs for her comfort and modesty._

_The baby yawned and stirred a little bit, letting his tiny eyes open just a little. Sakura touched his head and pushed the soft hairs away from his eyes. "He has light colored hair, just like Ino. He's going to be a heart breaker when he grows up I bet." Sakura giggled._

_--_

_Morning…it is snowing again. _

_Ino awoke from a very pleasant dream of better times back in Konoha. She didn't want to wake up…_

_She blinked and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her body ached and legs felt like jello. She noticed that Sakura was lying beside her with a little bundle in her arms; tiny hands reaching for the pink haired girl's shirt. _

"_Could this be? My…"_

_Ino reached for the little bundle and pulled down the side of the cloth revealing the sweet little face of an infant. Her heart was about to burst, this was her baby! In all of her excitement, Ino rolled onto her side letting out a grunt from the aches that followed. It didn't matter…she needed to hold her baby. Ino gently lifted Sakura's arm and placed it on the floor. Then she scooped the little bundle up and brought it close to her body. The baby peeked through squinting eyelids at his mother and made a gurgling sound. _

"_My baby..."_

_She smiled at her new son and touched his little fingers. The baby responded to her touch and opened his mouth making little nibbling gestures. _

"_He hasn't eaten anything yet…"_

_She wasn't exactly sure how to do this, but it was all about a mother's instinct. Ino pulled herself into a seated position against the wall, layering some of the furs behind her for support. She cradled the baby against her chest in one arm and lifted her shirt off over her head with the other. She draped one fur over herself to hide the baby and her exposed breasts. _

"_I really hope there's something in them now." _

_Gently she grasped her left breast, closest to the baby's head and squeezed. After a few gentle squeezes, a light colored fluid dripped out of the nipple. _

"_Thank goodness…"_

_She let the baby settle near her breast and she helped guide the nipple to his mouth. At first he wouldn't latch on and needed extra coaxing. Eventually he did and peacefully began bonding with mommy. It was mildly painful at first because she had filled up and her breasts were swollen throughout the birth. She pushed the aches aside and awed at the fact that she was now a mother._

"Hey."

Ino glanced at the hospital wing's entryway and saw Kiba standing there, Akamaru at his side.

"How are we doing?" her lover asked.

"I'm much better than yesterday that's for sure."

"How's the kid?"

"Shhhh…Sakura's still asleep." Ino made a gesture for him to come over.

Kiba crossed the hospital wing, telling Akamaru to stay by the entryway. He adjusted some of the furs aside and sat next to Ino. She rolled her eyes when he lifted the fur from her shoulders to look at the infant who was still latched onto her.

"At least his appetite is normal."

"Yeah right, you just wanted to gawk at my boobs."

"Who am I to deny that?" he chuckled. "But seriously, what are you going to call him?"

"I'm not really sure yet. I was hoping that maybe you could help me decide that."

Sakura just could not sleep any longer, there was too much noise coming from those two and she sat up.

"Mornin' Sakura."

Sakura glared at her blond friend and rubbed her eyes. "Uhhhhh…can't you guys be more quiet?" She yawned and stretched out her arms.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyways. You were going to be woken up in a few minutes by me. Gaara is calling a meeting for _everyone_ to attend," Kiba said. "So we have to get up as soon as Ino is finished here and go to Shikamaru's chamber."

"Alright, I'll get a head start to Shikamaru's quarters then." Sakura dragged herself to her feet and left the hospital wing, Akamaru following her out.

Kiba turned his attention to his blond lover once again. "So about your clothes…your shorts are completely ruined…"

--

_The room was silent…_

_The group patiently waited for the others to arrive. A stoic looking Gaara leaned against the cavern wall, Shikamaru his mirror image on opposite side of room. Temari kneeled by her lover's side, gently wiping her giant iron fan with a cloth. It was filthy from her last battle. Shino stood in a corner with his hands in his pockets. Choji comfortably seated himself on a fur pile with his feet up on an empty box. Naruto sat on the floor with a frightened Hinata curled up against him. She was tightly wrapped in a fur, hiding her face from the others. _

_Moments later, Sakura joined the group and seated herself next to Naruto, quietly asking him how Hinata was doing. Akamaru lay at Gaara's feet, hoping to get his head scratched but gave a distinctive whine when it never came. The sand-nin glanced at Sakura as if expecting her to let him know the whereabouts of Kiba and Ino. _

Sakura saw the former Kazekage staring at her, "Oh, their on their way…sorry."

Gaara peered outside the chamber into the cavern hall and nodded.

Seconds afterwards, Kiba appeared in the doorway guiding a clammy looking Ino. She was bundled up in furs and looking very cheerful despite her appearance. Choji and Shikamaru smiled at her, both wanted to greet her and ask about her health.

Everyone seemed at edge with excitement for her and she knew what they wanted to see. Carefully she lowered the top layer of her furs to reveal the newborn. The baby was asleep, content after his first breakfast. Choji seemed particularly interested in the new addition and invited his teammate to sit next to him so he could get a closer look. He loved kids. After what happened to the main chamber and all the children inside, he had become depressed. This changed when Ino let him hold her son.

"Have you named him yet?" Choji asked.

"No. I still haven't found the right name yet."

After everyone got their chance to see the new baby, Gaara started the meeting.

"I think its time we have left the burrow for good now that enemy pinpointed our location."

"Gaara, where will go?" Temari was confused. There was nowhere for them to go except… "No! We can't go back there! We are heavily outnumbered and…"

"We have no choice! Temari, I have a week and two days left…"

He was right, the last time the group planned an attack it was postponed due the attack on the burrow and then Ino's complications.

"Actually…" Shikamaru spoke up. "Our calendar isn't completely accurate. We never had one to begin with. If you have been counting days, I'd say you may be off a couple."

"So your saying that we may have even less time?"

"Or more time…possibly."

Gaara sighed. "The instant I turn seventeen, I will be a deadly weapon once again."

Shivers traveled down Temari's spine. She did not want to have to deal with all that torment again. "When do we leave then?"

"The day after tomorrow. We have to take care of some things here and destroy all evidence that people resided in these caverns. Tomorrow, we will hold a proper funeral for our fallen and all of the little ones. Shikamaru has hatched a plan for our departure and what we'll do once we get to Konoha. "

Shikamaru removed himself from the wall and pocketed his hands. "Right…after we finish with tomorrow's business we will take only what we need to survive. When we reach the border of the city, Naruto and Kiba will take Hinata and Ino into hiding. Find an abandoned house and keep them out of harm's way."

Naruto and Kiba looked at each other and nodded.

"Next, we split into two teams… Choji, Temari and I will be squad one and Gaara, Sakura, and Shino will be squad two. From the front gate the two teams will split, team one will take the western side of the city and team two the eastern. It's likely that we will run into some of the elites or our old sensei for that matter. Each squad is capable of long and short range attacks. We have good chances of sneaking past as many elites as possible because of the sheer size of the city."

"How will we locate the leader? We don't know where he's staying." Naruto asked.

"We'll have to take an elite hostage and make him spill. Also, splitting up will cover more ground. We may stumble upon him eventually." Shikamaru crossed his arms. "This is gonna be such a pain… anyways, once we scout the entire city for their leader, we'll gather information on how to handle him."

Gaara took the lead again and dismissed the group, "Everyone try to get some rest. We have much to do…and little time."

The group dispersed from the room. Sakura, Kiba and Ino returned to the hospital wing, Akamaru behind them. Gaara returned to his own quarters. Shino and Choji stayed in the back chamber with Naruto and Hinata while Shikamaru left for his own chamber, Temari in tow.

--

_Another building has collapsed…a sign that something great has happened…an omen…_

"_My lord, your subordinates have returned from their mission."_

"_Baki, let them in."_

"_Yes my lord."_

_Lord Sasuke waited patiently for his elites to make entrance. Kakashi, Neji, and Rock Lee…_

_All three bowed to their master and kneeled, waiting for their next set of orders._

"_I trust your mission was successful?"_

"_Not completely my Lord." Neji spoke up. "There were some minor complications, but all of the young ones are eliminated. We could not retrieve the Yamanaka."_

"_What of the ninja who protected the location?" _

"_My lord, we managed to finish off one of them; a useless female with no particular talent or bloodline trait."_

"_Good…I believe your mission will execute a counter attack from our enemies. I want you three to take a squadron and post elites all over the city. I sense our little friends will be arriving in the next few days. Also, I will need an escort. I wish to move to the arena by tomorrow night…I have plans for my genjutsu…" _

"_Yes my lord." _

_Neji bowed his head in respect and lead the other elites out of the office. _

_Lord Sasuke smiled maniacally to himself, "Things are getting interesting…"_

_To be continued…_

_--_

_Forgive me; it's been a week or so since my update! Send me your comments and opinions if you like, I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible! Happy reading!_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Permanent Sunset: The Woods

_Please don't cry anymore…please…_

_He loves me…truly…_

_The second eve had come. The young ninjas were just hours away from their departure to Konoha and hope was hanging by a thread. They were so few and without Kiba, Akamaru, and Naruto on the frontlines with the other strong shinobi, their doubts grew thicker. _

_Ino had been keeping herself company with her new baby; he had been finding some difficulty eating. Ino worried for her son and tried to smile through the bitter thoughts. He was a premature infant, and unfortunately being so carried many problems such as poor lung development and problems attaching to the breast. Kiba tried to help the infant latch onto her many times. Majority of the time he was successful and Ino couldn't help but comment how good of a father he could be…or was. She still wondered how their relationship would remain in tact should Kakashi; the baby's biological father, come out of his "clouded" state. Would there be a fight? What happens if Kakashi claims paternity rights and not let Ino stay with Kiba out of responsibility and duty to the biological father? Kakashi wouldn't force her to marry him…would he?_

Kiba knocked Ino out of her little trance.

"Did you pack an extra warm fur?"

"Oh…of course… I took the thickest one we had. Kiba don't worry so much, I'm sure we'll be warm enough in hiding."

"I guess…"

"Don't forget, you're going to be the one carrying this stuff. I got my hands full with the baby." Ino chuckled.

The baby cooed nearby from the table which Ino had placed him. His tiny fingers balled up and curled under his face. He managed to push his fur covers down below his belly. Ino quickly returned the fur to rest under his chin and she laid a kiss on his forehead, calming him.

"Mommy's here."

Kiba smiled. She easily took to her maternity role, caring for her son…_ and his future step-son._

"Anyways…I'm gonna head down the hall to see if Naruto was able to get Hinata out of that corner chamber. She hasn't moved since our meeting the other night."

"Before you go Kiba, can you bring me another set of cloths to replace my current ones? I'm still bleeding from the birth and I don't think my makeshift shorts can contain soaked ones any longer."

"Well then I'll be sure to take extras with us…you'll be lucky not to bleed longer than six weeks…"

"That long?!"

"Yup."

Ino sighed. "Guys have it so easy…"

Kiba laughed. "That's the way it is."

"And I hate you for it," she smiled.

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"That a girl… let's get you ready to leave this place. We're going to be returning home."

Her eyes widened with fear and she desperately shook her head as if begging not to go back to the torture chambers.

"Easy Hinata, I'm gonna be there with you and that's a promise." Naruto said. "You'll be riding my back on the way there and I'm not going to leave your side, at all. Just let me wrap you into something warm. Shikamaru will be coming for us soon to depart." He stroked her cheek as his other hand tugged an extra fur around her. Then he had done something he never expected from himself…he kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger on the cool skin.

She didn't flinch or push him away. Instead her eyes had softened; half closing her lids. Her own lips had parted, letting out a tiny gasp.

Naruto then pulled her into a gentle embrace, furs and all. Her chin rested on his shoulder and she could feel his chest rising and falling with each breath. He was so warm…she felt happy in his presence.

"Hinata…I…you don't realize…well, I want to say…I care about you… very much. When we first rescued you and I saw how you were treated…I cried. I couldn't stop…I cried all night in my chamber. I… just wanted to let you know…I want to protect you, keep you safe from harm the rest of your life."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "_He truly cares for me…I want to express my feelings to him too…but it won't…my voice…"_

Naruto hugged her tighter.

"N…Na..ru..to…" she squeaked, barely audible.

Taken aback, Naruto loosened his grip on her to peer into her eyes. They were so lovely and full of warmth, he never noticed before. She spoke to him again…even if it was only his name like before when he spent a night with her.

Hinata let her hand run up his arm and brush across his chest. Strands of hair touched his broad shoulders; he never bothered cutting it in the last year. Honestly his hair looked good long as it did short and gave him an older appearance. Those blue eyes of his bore into her as if searching her feelings. Her cheeks flushed and she was tempted to look away but Naruto's lips had claimed hers in a flash. The gesture had sent chills down her spine…this was tender and heart breaking for her. The one she had wanted all these years finally shared similar feelings with her. Her eyes drooped shut as she leaned in closer to wrap her arms around his neck.

"_I love him so much…I want to stay with him for the rest of my life…"_

"Well then…am I interrupting?"

Naruto broke their kiss and looked behind him. Kiba was standing in the entranceway with a wide grin on his face and his arms crossed.

"No..no Kiba. I was just helping to get her ready." Naruto said, face extremely red and his eyes were shifting back and forth.

"I guess so…" Kiba smirked. "So how is she?"

"Uh… fine, still not talking or she isn't capable of it."

"Hmm…well at least she doesn't have to speak in words to _you_; I think kissing has that covered," the dog-nin laughed.

Naruto arched an irritated eyebrow.

Hinata squashed her face into Naruto's back from sheer embarrassment and minor fright.

"She still panicky with the others?"

"Um right now, we're working on that. I think she's good for traveling with us." Naruto reached over his shoulder to touch her head. "Give us a few minutes and we'll be ready to leave. Tell Shikamaru we're coming."

"Sure."

---------------------------------------------------------

_The hour has come…_

_The group of ninjas emerged from the burrow, Gaara and Shikamaru first as they were leading the entire operation. Choji and Shino followed next, carrying small bundles of supplies. Ino, Kiba, Akamaru, and the baby were next. She was wrapped in furs, the baby was held close to her chest for warmth and his comfort so he wouldn't cry during the trip. Temari and Sakura emerged behind Kiba holding the last of the medical supplies and the iron fan the sand-nin used as a weapon. Last came Naruto and Hinata. She was attached to Naruto's back, grasping her hands together tightly in front of him. Her face peeked over his shoulder and she glanced at the others…still too shy to say anything._

"We only have one lantern left. Let us travel close together and use what little light we have wisely." Gaara said. "We will travel at a medium pace for Ino and Hinata's sakes."

Snowflakes began falling from the sky. They glimmered from the light and tiny bits of snow now sit on each of their heads. All were completely covered in fur blankets altered to look like shawls and scarves. Shikamaru thought ahead and spend the afternoon shredding up the fur.

With a wave of his hand, Shikamaru signaled the group to head for the woods…forever leaving the burrow behind…their companions that were lost, the children, and the stillborn baby that Ino could not keep. Prayers and proper burials for all had been given.

They slipped into the darkness of the forest. They sloshed through the snow, their feet becoming cold from wet shoes. The furs didn't provide much protection on their toes, but enough to keep them from becoming frost bitten.

Tree branches snapped and creaked from the weight of the snow. The group avoided traveling by tree branch as they normally would for fear of a fatal accident and footprints weren't a concern because the falling snow covered them.

At this pace, they would reach Konoha in a day and a half as long as there aren't any delays. But as they traveled the baby would begin to cry every few hours and forced Ino to stop for feedings. The group patiently waited for her to finish each time. This also gave them the opportunity to snack on what little food they had left. Most scraps were saved for Ino for obvious reasons and she gladly would eat what they offered her. The entire group had lost a lot of weight in their year hiatus from the village.

Gaara had begun to grow uneasy as the hours went by. Not only did they not know what day it was, but his time was coming fast and all the work and effort he exerted in the last several years would mean nothing if he reverts back to his murderous self and kills all his friends.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"_I can sense them…"_

"_My Lord?" _

"_Baki, Kakashi…station yourselves outside the arena. I believe our guests will be arriving by midday tomorrow."_

"_Shall we send elites to every corner of the city?" Baki asked._

"_Hmm… that will not be necessary. Whether we catch them or not, they will be coming straight to me." _

"_Lord Sasuke, shall I summon our strongest jounin and elites to search the city? No doubt the enemy will be hiding within its walls. They have injured and weak ninjas, likely they will try to find a safe place to stash them."_

"_Very well, send Rock Lee and Kankuro to the East side of the city and send Neji and our highest ranking elite with him to the west side. All other elites will divide into two groups. One group is to stay behind to defend the arena and testing labs, the other will be sent to the northern parts of Konoha. Also, send out orders that the women are not to be harmed. I want them for…safe keeping. Any male prisoners taken are to be beaten into submission and taken to my labs or killed if they resist. _

"_Yes my Lord."_

_Baki and Kakashi both sent word for the elites and they dispersed themselves to their positions in the city, hiding within the buildings and waiting for signs of the enemy. _

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"How are you holding up?"

"Mm? Oh I'm okay. Kiba, how much food do we have left? I'm afraid my stomach won't be able to take this aching for much longer."

Ino sat up against a tree, her baby content under the furs; latched onto her. Kiba rummaged through a bag of food supplies and pulled out some dried fish.

"We have enough food left to last the group a few days, but here are a few pieces for you to eat now. You're gonna need the protein."

Grateful for the fish, Ino took a bite and savored the lightly salted flavor. She closed her eyes and let her head slump against the trunk of the tree as she chewed.

Kiba pushed back the fur that was covering Ino's chest and peeked at the infant laying against her belly. He was still nursing, fingers pushed into her skin as if squeezing for more food. Kiba touched the baby's head and gently brushed back some of the light colored hairs from his face.

Akamaru sat nearby watching the couple with the baby. He whined softly and nuzzled Kiba's arm.

"Hey boy… you were pretty amazing the other day when the baby was born. You fetched everything I needed."

Kiba scratched his loyal dog's ears and Akamaru returned the gesture by licking his hand.

"Okay, we're done for now." Ino said as she gently separated baby from breast. "Let's rejoin the others."

"They're just over there." Kiba pointed just ahead of him. "You have the lantern?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go. We can't leave them sitting in the dark for too long."

_Midday… reaching the city limits…_

_Gaara and Shikamaru carefully scouted out the front gate to Konoha, the debris had fallen away since the last time they arrived to retrieve Hinata and medical supplies. A large gap in the great gates was present. Shikamaru signaled for the others to follow him through the gap. _

"Alright," Shikamaru whispered, "Keep your voices down and let's find a shelter, any recommendations?"

Naruto spoke up. "There's a large building across from the old Ichiraku ramen noodle shop. It has a lot of space and the windows are covered. We should be safe there."

"Is ramen all you ever think about you dumbass?" Sakura chastised him.

Naruto gave a half grin and blushed.

"Well, I'm all for it as long as it is still standing." Shikamaru said. "Let's take back alleyways so we're not spotted."

_An hour of navigating the city had passed. The group had a close call of being spotted when an elite hopped over the building above them. The group quickly scattered and hid under debris and broken boards when the elite returned to check out the area. They silently waited for him to pass before sneaking away. _

"We're only a block away now." Naruto said.

"Let's hurry. I can see the ramen shop and there's the building. Looks like it's in good shape for hiding." Shikamaru said.

The building was dilapidated and the windows were broken. Tattered curtains dangled on the inside. The floorboards were a bit uneven but steady to walk on. Shikamaru led the group inside and they decided to set up their supplies and place Ino, her baby, and Hinata in the back room. A single lantern was all they needed to light up the storage room.

"We need to send our two teams out immediately." Gaara said, placing a bag of supplies on the floor.

"Right. Naruto… Kiba, you guys set?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. You guys head out and be careful!" Kiba said in a worried tone. "This place is covered."

Gaara nodded at Kiba. "Shino…Sakura, let's move out."

Sakura looked at Naruto, "We'll be back…I promise."

"You better..." Naruto joked.

Shino said nothing as he followed the kazekage outside the building with Sakura in tow. The three of them leapt off into the alleyways into the eastern part of the city.

A few minutes later, Shikamaru, Temari, and Choji left to search out the western part of the city.

Naruto began pacing the room and glanced at the others every now and again.

"Naruto…give them some time for god's sake. They just left!" Kiba said.

"I know, I know! I can't help but worry. Was it really a wise decision to split them up?"

"Shikamaru seems to believe so. I'm sure he has his reasons."

"…" Naruto continued pacing. He squeezed his hands into balls anxious about the others whereabouts.

"Will you just sit down?!" Ino yelled. "Hinata could use your company right about now," and she peeked over at the Hyuga heiress. "She's probably frightened from your constant worrying."

Naruto turned around and saw Hinata huddled up in the corner of the backroom. She was staring back at him trembling. He quickly joined her side and draped an arm across her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Hinata. I can understand why you would be afraid of coming back here."

Naruto gently squeezed her fur clad shoulder and she leaned into him.

"I'm….sor...ry…" she squeaked.

"Don't be. Never be sorry for showing me your emotions."

Ino watched the couple curl up in the corner and she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. Hinata had made a great deal of progress since her retrieval from the enemy base. She still had some issues talking to the others but Naruto basically spoke for her now. It was almost as if…they were meant to be.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_They were traveling fast…_

_North…_

_West…_

_East…_

_Lee and Neji… led their groups in separate directions, west and east._

_The north was group led by elite jounin; their faces hidden away under black masks, their specialty not in fighting; but medical practice and torture. These men handled all the prisoners of the medical wards. They murdered many, women and children. The remaining were tied up and placed in basements for pleasure, testing, and used on a whim. At the front, the largest elite gave the other men the signal to break into two groups along the northern parts of the city. His own group picked up signs of life forms in the nearby buildings. The three of them found footprints down one alleyway leading to the old restaurant plaza of the main street. _

"_Itchiraku…" the elite said. He wandered close to the broken down restaurant, peeking over the counter. No trace of humans. "Search the surrounding buildings." _

--------------------------------------------------

Ino dozed off a bit, holding her infant against her chest. Furs wrapped tightly around herself and her son. The baby cooed and traced his little fingers along Ino's hands, trying to grasp onto anything he could reach.

Kiba too was passing out, exhausted from the long and painfully slow journey from the burrow. He needed to stay awake as lookout. Hopping to his feet, he bounced lightly and wiggled his hands at his sides to try and get the blood flowing. It seemed to work and his attention was a bit more focused. He looked around the room and noticed Akamaru lying close to a window. He seemed to be staring outside and didn't look at his master when he called to him.

"What's wrong boy?"

Akamaru didn't budge; instead he released a mild growl.

"Akamaru?"

His companion lifted his nose into the air and sniffed heavily. The fur on his back began to stand on end.

Kiba also sniffed the air and captured the faint smell of a human and an unknown one at that. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck. _"It's gotta be them..."_

Slowly, Kiba backed away into the storage room, grabbing for one of the supply bags which contained the remaining ninja tools. He pulled one the kunai from the bag. After doing so, he found Naruto resting in the corner with Hinata and shook him awake.

Hinata woke first and she made a light whimpering noise. "…"

Kiba quickly raised a hand to his mouth gesturing for her to stay quiet.

Naruto emerged from his dreamless sleep, ready to ask what the big idea was.

The dog-nin whispered, "Keep it down…there's an enemy outside the building. I think we've been found out."

"…shit…" Naruto whispered back. He jumped to his feet and rummaged the tool bag for a kunai. "Where's Akamaru?"

"He's in the next room. We have to keep Hinata and Ino hidden."

The two boys had their weapons and quietly left the storage room, closing the door behind them. Ino remained in her dream state while Hinata scooted across the floor to be next to Ino. She piled the furs over her head to further hide herself.

Naruto and Kiba inspected the first floor of the dilapidated building. Not a single trace of the enemy on the first floor. Akamaru stayed by the front door, ready to pounce on anyone if they forced their way inside.

Naruto met up with Kiba in the main room again, "I didn't find any…"

*crash*

"What the…?" Naruto questioned.

"It was a window breaking, they're inside the building." Kiba readied his weapon. "Akamaru, stay here in the main room and guard the girls. Naruto and I are going upstairs."

Around the storage room, the stairs leading to the second floor were present. The two boys armed with their knives, steadily ascended the staircase. At the top of the stairs, there was a long hallway. They could barely make out the shapes of the doorways since it was so dark. Truly, the permanent darkness was becoming a huge hassle and it would have been really stupid to carry a lantern for the enemy to see, so they had to cope with the darkness.

The two of them entered the first room on the left and felt their way along the walls, carefully listening for any movement, nothing. They searched another room and thought they heard something, but assumed it to be a rat or small creature.

Just when they were ready to search the next room, a small clanging sound could be heard from down the hallway, where they had not explored yet. Kiba grabbed onto Naruto's wrist and guided him to the entrance of the room they resided in. He shoved Naruto behind the door while he placed himself against the wall on the other side of the entrance. "Be ready to cover me." Kiba whispered.

"Fine." Naruto said as he steadied himself.

Kiba could hear the footsteps coming closer to their current position. He sniffed the air. "There are two of them, both men."

"Right," Naruto whispered, barely audible. He raised his knife to eye level, waiting for the signal from Kiba.

Kiba switched his kunai to his right hand and raised it over his left shoulder, positioning himself to strike at the attacker's face when he stepped through the doorway. Kiba's breathing was becoming slightly erratic. Normally he had Akamaru by his side for tag team jutsu. He only had Naruto with him, so they had to rely on brute force.

Another step…they were so close.

Kiba shut his eyes, only wanting to rely on his sense of smell to make the first blow.

Another step…

And another…

Right outside the door…

Kiba prepared for the attack, his enemy was on the other side of the wall. His heart was pounding, almost thrilled to be in battle or fearing for his love and Hinata if they were discovered.

*creak*

A silhouette appeared in the doorway…

Kiba's reflexes…

The kunai in his hand…

The instant the enemy set foot through the door, Kiba lashed his kunai at him, forcing it into the enemy's face. The elite grabbed at his eye and collapsed to the ground in severe pain. Naruto leapt out from behind the door and ground his own knife into the elite's torso. The other elite behind the first grabbed at Kiba's head and tried to choke him. He pounded Kiba against a wall, still clutching at his throat. The dog-nin tried to loosen the elite's hands from his neck.

Naruto finished with the first elite on the floor and joined into Kiba's current battle. He stuck his kunai into the back of the elite and he released Kiba to grab at his back.

--------------------------------------------------------

There was a serious racket going on upstairs and the two girls in the storage room could hear everything. Ino suspected that Naruto and Kiba must be fighting and as much as she wanted to help, she couldn't in her current condition. She was still bleeding from the birth and her body ached from travel. Plus she had to look after Hinata and her baby.

The noise stopped.

Ino hoped the boys took care of the intruders. She must have been right because she heard footsteps outside the storage room. Only they knew where the girls were hidden. Where was Akamaru, Ino could have sworn he was given explicit instructions by his master to stay put in the main room. Akamaru would be barking or yipping at his master's return, but not a sound came from the other room besides the footsteps.

Ino reached for the lantern nearby and shined it up at the closed door. Hinata gripped onto Ino's arm from under the furs. She would not stick her face out.

"Kiba?" Ino called out.

No response.

"Guys?"

Still nothing.

The door began to creak open and fingers snaked their way around the splintered wood. Ino was beginning to panic, hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The door swung open revealing a large figure in its frame. He was very tall, dressed in black, and has his face hidden. Ino shone the light on him and realized…

"No!"

The elite stepped into the storage room.

"Stay back!" Ino yelled and shifted her weight to try and scoot herself as far away from the enemy as possible. In the process, the furs fell from Hinata's head, revealing her face to the man.

He spoke to them in a low tone. His voice sent chills down both the girl's spines. "Well, well…if it isn't the two escape artists. It is fortunate that I have found you, our master is awaiting your 'safe' return."

Hinata squeaked and began to cry. She huddled up next to Ino.

The elite looked at the dark haired girl and cocked his head to one side as if…

"I remember you…the girl from the basement. We had a whole lot of fun together, didn't we?"

To Hinata's horror, the elite reached into his long black coat and revealed to her a very long steel rod with the tip slightly blackened and misshapen.

"Remember this little girl? Well I hope you do, because we are going to re-live those precious memories."

Hinata screamed and tried to force her face underneath the furs again. The enemy drew closer to the girls, holding the rod high above his head as if ready to strike them with it.

Closer…

Closer…

The rod began its descent down towards the girls…

Preparing for the blow, Ino and Hinata shielded their heads with their arms but before the enemy could connect a hit, a loud howling sounded behind him.

Akamaru had returned and lunged at the elite, biting down hard at the back of his neck and forcing the man to fall forward. Akamaru plunged to the floor and rolled across to the girls feet. The enemy fell face first into the floor boards and never moved again, for he had fallen onto his own weapon. The rod plunged directly through his heart, killing him instantly.

Tears formed in Hinata's eyes. She stared at the corpse and couldn't believe what Akamaru had done. On the other hand, she was glad.

Akamaru quickly got up and placed himself next to the girls who both proceeded to grasping onto the dog and hugging him, not wanting to let go, both simultaneously giving him thanks and praises for saving them. Meanwhile, the baby in Ino's lap had begun to cry vigorously from being so violently shaken awake from his nap.

The loyal dog couldn't help but lick both the girls' faces, happy that they were safe and proud for carrying out his master's orders successfully.

_To be continued…_

My apologies for taking so long to put this chapter up. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism or comments about the chapter. I'll begin the next chapter as soon as I can!


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